Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-06
Arms-Bearing and Crime.

ms-Bearing and Crime.
"A we'll regulated militia. being neces-
Sary to the security of a free State
the right of the people to keep and
bear arms shall not be infrineed. "
Thus reads the second amendment to
the Constitution Of the United States,
one of the series of ten amendments
adopted Immediately after the ratifica-
ton of the Constitution and styled the
Bill of Rights" This second amend
ment has been often wrongly inter-
preted as justifying indiscriminate ar
mament and is cited whenever efforts
are made 10 restrict or regulate trade In
weapons as a means of checking crime.
1t was never the purpose of the
the right Of all persons to arm them
selves for whatever object they might
desire to advance 1t was not the aim
to give to the laWbreaker the privilege
of possessing deadly weapons as
means of practicing his criminal pur-
suits. 1t was, on the contrary, the pur-
pose of the trainers of the Constitution
to establish the right of the people to
bear arms in the sense of commune
ties armed for defense, through the
maintenance of a well regulated mill
tia"
Efforts to secure the enactment OF
laws, State and Federal, to check the
weapons trade by placing it under re-
strictions and regulations have the sup
port of all who have examined the con-
ditions prevailing in this country bear
ing upon lawleSsness and crime. Some
States have enacted such laws. The
United States Government has pro-
hibited the sending of deadly weapons
through the mails save under strict
regulations that require registration
and permit. But there is no effective
barrier against the traffic between the
States by other means, and save IN
very few cases there are no dependable
laws that require the grant of permits
by responsible authorities for the bear
ing" of arms and none forbidding the
sale of weapons save to those that are
licensed to obtain and to possess them.
In the course of the inquiry into the
Philadelphia conditions of crime and
corruption, growing out OF the illicit
liquor traffic in that city, it has just
been revealed that a dealer sold guam
titles of the most deadly weapons, in
Guiding machine guns and ammunition,
to anybody with the money" He re-
fused to reveal the names of his GUS
toners, claiming that he kept no rec
ords. He declined to furnish the manu-
featuring companies with such names.
Yet he was supplied by those companies
with his stock of weapons and permit
ted to sell without stint, and it is vir-
tually established that he sold to those
who constituted the bootlegging gangs
and other criminal groups.
Chicago has been the scene Of many
murders committed by gangs armed
with machine guns of the deadliest
kind. New York has likewise of late
experienced numerous atrocities in
which these machine guns have fig
ured. The manufacture of these weap-
ons is under no check The sale of
them is likewise under no effective re-
striction. Anybody with the money"
can get them. They are supposedly
made to be used for lawful purposes,
to be put into the hands Of those
charged with the execution of the law
and with the defense of property.
Actually, they go to those who are vio-
latirg the law and despoiling property.
Assuredly this Philadelphia revelation
of unrestricted dealing in the most muir
derous of weapons in aid of laWless
traffic and criminal enterprise should
result in some sincere effort to put
this trade under restraint and check
1t will not suffice to punish the dealer
who sold to all corners without ques-
ton or hesitation. so long AS they had
the money" A Federal statute placing
the manufacture of weapons under the
strictest supervision AS to disposal ano
furnishing all who engage in their dis
! tribution save under permits iSSuec
with the greatest care by public au'
! thorities is the logical and necessary
step to prevent such fragrant f1outine