Chapter LXIX: Appendix: C

THE LAW OF CARRYING WEAPONS IN THE UNITED STATES

The statutes of the various States upon the subject of carrying weapons are substantially similar, the main differences relating to the persons exempted from their operation, and to the manner of carrying the weapon, some making it an offence to carry the weapon at all, whether concealed or not; others prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons only.

These statutes have been held to be police regulations, and not to conflict with the constitutional right of the people to keep and bear arms.

Weapons are considered to be concealed, within the intent of the statutes, when they cannot be readily seen by ordinary observation.

In some of the States, as in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri, the carrying of “deadly” or “dangerous” weapons is prohibited. Most of the States, however, specify the weapons prohibited. Such weapons as pistols, dirks, butchers’ or bowie knives, stilettos, daggers, swords, brass knuckles, razors, slugs, etc., are usually specified in nearly all of the statutes.

Officers of the law are usually exempted from the operation of the statutes. The officers must, however, be duly appointed, and in the discharge of their duties at the time of carrying the weapons.

Persons who are threatened with bodily harm or who have reasonable grounds to apprehend danger or attack, are usually justified in carrying concealed weapons. It is not every idle threat, however, which would justify one in carrying concealed weapons. The threat must be such as to cause a reasonable apprehension of danger. Examples of this exemption are found in the statutes of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, Maryland, and West Virginia.

Persons on their own premises are frequently exempted from the operation of the statutes. This is so in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas.

Some of the statutes exempt persons who are travelling. This is so in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas.

The burden of proving exemption rests usually upon the accused. This has been expressly decided in Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. In Michigan, however, it has been held that the prosecution must prove that the defendant does not fall within one of the exemptions.

INDEX

A

Accidents, 10;
from loaded weapons, 21, 160;
how to prevent, 26, 33, 58;
on the stage, 282, 291

Africa, shooting in, 261

Alcohol, danger from use of, 4, 95, 140, 145

Allowance, 93, 243

Ammunition, 44, 251, 262;
blank, 282;
Eley, 334, 340, 346;
U. M. C., 335, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 347

Animals, killing wounded, 305

_Art of Revolver Shooting, The_, quoted, iii., 17, 81, 135, 191, 297;
changes made in, 25

“Au Commandemant,” shooting, 227

Author, duelling championship of, 61;
running deer championship of, 87;
snap shooting score of, 106;
member of London Royal Academy, 159;
author’s trotting horses, 210;
Sika deer shot by the, 271;
gold medals won by, 275;
trophies modelled by the, 317;
sights designed by the, 324;
world’s record scores by the, 333-350

Automatic pistol, accuracy of the, 1;
the Colt regulation, 2, 45, 80, 84, 133, 200, 212, 231, 233;
dangerous to handle, 3, 46, 129;
sole weapon in the U. S., 17;
how to hold the, 21, 286;
inventors of the, 22;
danger from recoil, 59;
the civilian, 84;
the police, 84;
the Savage, 84;
the Smith & Wesson, 84;
the German military, 84;
recoil of the, 59, 84, 96, 97;
shooting with the, 97, 113;
the safety bolt of the, 99;
powerful cartridge of the, 109, 251;
the U. S. army, 109;
description of the, 113, 118;
faults of the, 125;
the Colt new safety, 128;
cleaning and care of the, 152;
military automatics, 231, 248;
proper ammunition for, 251;
the Mauser, 252;
use on horseback, 258

Automatic gallery pistols, 260;
the Winans model, 263;
.22 long barrel Colt, 265;
.22 target Colt, 296;
capable of improvement, 329;
graceful lines of the Colt, 330

B

Balance, 50, 80

Balderston, John Lloyd, quoted, vi.

Barrel, length of, 48

Bavaria, alcohol tests in, 147

Bear, shooting, 261

Bell, Dr. Louis, 317

Big game shooting, 23, 213, 250;
in England, 154

Bisley, shooting at, 16, 94, 156, 209, 342, 343, 344, 345, 347, 348, 349

Boar, shooting wild, 228, 250, 261

Brains, shooting requires, 163

“Brandishing and Flourishing,” 3, 29, 59, 282, 330

Breech, the, 118

Bridge, playing at, 55, 140

Brookhart, Major S. W., quoted, 148

Bulleted caps, 50, 51, 52, 56

Bullets, soft lead, 72;
drop of, 247;
Devilliers, 300, 315

Burglars, frightening, 28;
shooting at, 214

Butt, the, 55

Byron, Lord, quoted, 34, 188

C

Carpentier, 188

Cartridges, obsolete types of, 45;
the proper, 97;
ejection of, 130;
cordite used in, 262;
duelling pistol, 264

Chantry Bequest, the, 159

Clay pigeons, shooting at, 73, 90

Cleaning, 27, 127, 152

Clip, cartridges in a, 120

Clubs, shooting, 75

Cocking, trials at, 42, 241

Colds, danger from, 218, 228

Colt, the regulation .45, 80, 84, 133, 200, 212, 231, 233;
the civilian, 84;
the police, 84;
new safety, 128;
the Derringer, 203;
.25 cal. automatic, 205;
.22 long-barrelled automatic, 265;
.22 target automatic, 296;
graceful lines of the, 330

Competitions, the way they are conducted, 9, 78, 266, 313;
entering for, 43;
Gastinne-Renette, 73, 313;
mounted pistol, 256;
duelling, 303;
police, 317

Condy’s fluid for colouring, 278

Cordite, cartridges of, 262

Crane, R. Newton, quoted, 192

Cuirass, a bullet-proof, 2

D

_Daily Mail_, letter to the, 151

_Daily Mirror_, the, quoted, 191

Deer-stalking, 71, 157, 260

Derringer, the Colt, 203, 252

Devilliers bullet, the, 300, 315

Devonshire, red deer in, 154

Disconnector, the, 128, 238

Distance, judging, 243

_Don Juan_ quoted, 34, 188

Dress, 207

Drinking, harm done by, 4, 95, 140, 145

Duelling, practised on the Continent, 16;
position to stand in, 78;
distance in, 108, 182, 274;
question of, 171;
remarks on, 176, 180, 185, 189;
swords used in, 177;
penalties for, 184;
laws on, 192;
preparations for, 194;
competitions in, 313

Duelling pistols, 16, 47;
the Flobert, 49;
the Gastinne-Renette, 50, 123, 263, 274;
the regulation French, 52, 62, 182;
author’s championship with, 61;
balance of, 80;
sights on, 234, 264;
recoil of, 239;
.44 used for rabbit stalking, 249;
cartridges for the, 264;
Sika stag shot with a, 271;
use of Devilliers bullet in the, 300

E

Ears, guarding the, 5, 215;
Elliott’s Protector for the, 217, 219

Ejection of cartridges, 130

Elliott, J. A. R., Ear Protector, 217, 219

England, revolver in use in, 17, 231;
shooting in, 154;
duelling in, 191;
open air ranges in, 227, 266;
law regarding firearms in, 360

English National Rifle Assn., 16, 156

Euclid quoted, 3

Exhibition shooting, 135, 291, 297

Eyes, protecting the, 215

Eyesight, 222

F

Falling bullets, danger from, 10

Faults, correcting, 165

Fencing, 59

_Field_, the, quoted, vi.

_Flanneled Fools_, 6

Flobert pistol, the, 36, 49

Francis, W., chauffeur, 234

Furlong, Dr. W. V., letter from, 151

G

Game shooting, 249;
rifle used in, 260, 287

Games, pistol shooting and, 13

Gastinne-Renette, duelling pistols by, 50, 123, 182, 263;
gallery of, 54, 267, 270;
competitions, 37, 313;
prizes, 73, 137, 170, 271, 273;
Ira Paine at gallery of, 137;
targets used by, 167

Gieve, Mathews & Seagrove, 217

Goggles, use of, 302

Golf, compared with shooting, 5, 55, 266;
time wasted at, 6;
temper shown at, 140

Grande Medaille d’Or, 73, 137, 170, 271

Greener Killer, the, 310

Grip, how to, 80, 84, 285

H

Hammer head attachment, 84

Hammer, positions of the, 33

Hammerless pistols, 43

High School of Riding, 254

Horse pistols, balance of the, 80

Horseback, shooting from, 253

Horsemanship, 254, 258

Horses, docking, 24;
runaway, 288

Horsley, Sir Victor, quoted, 147

How to hold the automatic, 21

Humane Killer, the, 311

I

Inventors of firearms, 123, 320

Irving, Sir Henry, 144

J

Jambing, 69, 84, 127, 153, 232

Jellicoe, Admiral, quoted, 146

K

Killers, the Greener, 310;
the Humane, 311

Kipling, R., quoted, 6

Kraeplin, report of Prof., 147

L

Landseer, Sir Edwin, 158

Languages, learning, 18

Law, relating to revolver shooting in Great Britain and Ireland, 351;
relating to carrying weapons in the United States, 360

Le Pistolet Club, 70

Lee-Metford, the, 24

Learning to shoot, 53

Literature, shooting in, 280

Lodge, Sir Oliver, quoted, 150

London Royal Academy, the, 159

Long-range shooting, 108

Long-sighted shooters, 20

M

Magazine, the, 97

Maryland, trophy given by the author to the State of, 317

Matador, 255

Mauser automatic pistol, 252

Metronome, the, 103, 272

Military rifles, trigger-pull of, 41;
pistol sights, 63;
sights of, 156

Moufflon shooting, 252

Muzzle-heavy weapons, 50, 69

N

National Rifle Association, 95

Near-sighted shooters, 20, 85, 222

North London Rifle Club, 336, 337, 341

O

Ogilvy, Captain, quoted, 136

Olympic Games, the, 72, 77, 87, 148, 255

_Outdoor Life_, the, 244

P

Paine, Chevalier Ira, 70, 136, 188, 275

Paris, shooting galleries in, 54

Pennell, Cholmondely, 208

Petty, roundsman, 317

Pigeon shooting, 40

Pistol shooting, unpopularity of, 13;
the way to learn, 25

Pistols, duelling, 16, 17, 49, 50, 52, 62, 80, 123, 182, 239, 249, 263,
264;
single-shot, 20, 31, 41;
American, 51;
the .22, 77;
shot used in, 73;
how to hold, 80, 286;
the Colt regulation .45, 80, 84, 133, 200, 212, 231, 233;
the civilian, 84;
the police, 84;
the Savage, 84;
the Smith & Wesson, 84;
the German military, 84;
rifle stocks for, 85;
the U. S. Army, 109;
description of, 113;
vest pocket models, 203;
military automatic, 231, 248

Police pistols, 49, 317

Position, the correct, 58, 92

Powder, use of black, 17

Practice, value of, 60, 61

Prizes, the Grande Médaille d’Or, 73, 137, 170, 271;
given for shooting roebuck, 157;
the King’s Prize, 209;
at Gastinne-Renette’s, 271, 273, 314

Purchasing an automatic, advice on, 125, 127

R

Rabbit stalking, 249

Rain, shooting in the, 226

Range, choice of a, 55, 266;
the indoor, 268;
the open-air, 276

Rapid firing, 100

Recoil, 51;
of automatic, 59, 84, 96, 120, 126, 239, 330;
of rifle, 261

_Referee_, the, quoted, 190

Revolver, the, 1;
no longer used, 56, 242, 318, 333;
the .32 pocket, 239;
world’s records with the, 333;
.45 Colt cavalry, 334;
.44 Smith & Wesson, 335, 343, 348, 349;
.45 Smith & Wesson, 340, 341, 342, 344, 345, 346, 347;
the .38 Smith & Wesson, 349

Ricochets, danger of, 279, 304

Riding, benefit from, 7;
expert, 322

Rifle, right kind of, 23;
pistol compared with, 111;
the military automatic, 119, 125;
shooting clubs, 158;
in game shooting, 260;
modern improved, 261;
the .44 Winchester, 262;
the .22 automatic Winchester, 265;
author’s record at shooting the, 275

Roebuck, shooting the, 157, 246

Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 311

Running deer, the, 93, 95, 125, 156

Running shots, 86, 92

S

Safety bolt, the, 98, 133, 238

Savage, the, 84

Savory & Moore, 217

Scotland, shooting in, 154, 198

Seer, damage to the, 42

Self-defence, shooting for, 132, 212;
pistols for, 200, 206

Shooting galleries, 9;
the unpopular, 14, 53, 64, 225, 267;
the Gastinne-Renette, 54, 267, 270;
pistols for, 263;
the ideal, 268

Shooting, the instinct of, 8;
unpopularity of pistol, 15;
big game, 23;
exhibition, 135;
brains required in, 163;
dress, 207;
use of spectacles, 215;
near-sighted, 20, 85, 222;
from horseback, 253;
trick, 135, 291

Shot, the No. 7, 74, 305;
the No. 8, 201;
the No. 10, 294;
the No. 5, 305

Shot gun, trigger-pull of the, 40;
shooting with the, 90;
as sporting firearm, 155

Sights, hind, 20, 21;
the U back, 56;
the black front, 56, 155, 232;
the white bead, 57, 232;
learning about, 62;
French duelling, 63;
the telescope, 250;
Winans’ front, 324

Simplification, 326

Single-shot pistols, bad shots from, 20;
how to handle the, 31, 41;
American, 51;
shot from, 73;
description of the, 113;
cleaning the, 152;
.22 used in United States, 249

Smith & Wesson, the, 84;
hammerless safety, 98;
Ira Paine’s, 188;
Russian model, 202, 285;
the .44, 335, 343, 348;
the .45, 340, 341, 342, 344, 345, 346, 347;
the .38, 349

Smoking, harm done by, 4, 95, 140, 142, 145

Snap-shooting, 104, 197, 236, 258

Somersetshire, red deer in, 154

South London Rifle Club, 334, 335, 338, 339

Sport, meaning of, 7

Spoons given as prizes, 13

“Sports,” worship of, 7

Squeeze, the, 99

St. Francis of Assisi, 172

St. George, cross of, 234

St. George Pistol Club, 270

Stock, shape of, 285

Stockholm, games at, 72, 77

Swing shooting, 88, 258

T

Targets, moving, 16;
rapid-firing, 16, 345;
disappearing, 16, 340, 341, 342;
stationary, 17, 86, 276, 334, 335;
shooting at, 29;
the man, 48, 71, 75, 77, 93, 132;
construction of, 56;
instruction regarding, 71, 268;
animal, 73;
mechanical stag, 75;
French duelling, 77;
the running deer, 93, 95, 125, 156;
painters of, 157;
the perfect, 166;
the Gastinne-Renette, 167, 274;
military, 340;
traversing, 346, 347;
advancing, 348

Temper, control of, 139

Tennis, shooting compared with, 5

Timing, 19, 88, 316;
apparatus for, 102

Tobacco, danger from use of, 4, 95, 140, 142, 145

Trajectory, flat, 23

Trick shooting, 291

Trigger-pull, 38;
for pistol, 48, 65, 188, 241, 314

Trophies, challenge, 17

Trotting, records, “high wheel,” 17, 333;
horses, 210

U

Union Society of London, 189

United States, automatic pistol in the, 17;
revolver and rifle teams in the, 148;
laws on duelling, 192;
.22 single-shot pistol used in, 249;
law regarding firearms in the, 360

Unload, how to, 129

V

“Vanoc” quoted, 190

Vise, shooting from a, 57

W

Waistcoat, leather, 208, 229

Walking, steps taken in, 245

Weight, pistol, 46, 49, 116, 240

Williams, Lord Justice Vaughan, quoted, 189

Wimbledon, shooting at, 156, 158, 340, 346

Winans, model automatic, 263;
front sights, 324, 345

Winans, Ross, 120

Winchester, the .44 rifle, 262, 294;
the .22 automatic rifle, 265, 298

Wind, shooting in the, 226

World’s record scores, 333

Z

Zeiss glasses, 223