End Sale of Pistols Through Mail, Say Editors, Dec. 28, 1924

Mail Order Postal Menace

Two well known American mail order houses have recently announced the discontinuance of selling pistols. They are eliminating the weapons form their stock in trade obviously upon realizing that the mounting toll in human life by murder is to be traced more or less directly to this anonymous fashion in procuring arms.

American police will have less work when all mail order houses discontinue the sale of pistols by mail, either voluntarily or under compulsion of a national law.

Uncle Sam undoubtedly has the power to end this traffic in death-dealing weapons by interstate commerce.

At least 10,000 murders a year are committee din the United States. That is the known number, according to police statistics. There must be thousands of unknown killings, where the victims are never discovered.

By far a majority of murders are done with pistols. We read often of pistol murders, and only occasionally of a human life taken to blade, club or poison. To stop the shooting, shut off their pistol supply.

It is sometimes argued that even if revolvers could not be bought in the open markets, crooks would be able to buy pistols under cover. That is true, to some extent. But the supply would be smaller.

In most states and cities, revolvers can be purchased only by police permit or by registration. Effectiveness of this regulation is lessened by mail order sale.

An argument frequently advanced against stopping the sale of revolvers, is that the law-abiding householder would be defenseless against intruders. The answer to this is that the householder can arm himself with a rifle or sawed-off shotgun, which cannot be carried through streets by crooks without detection.

A pistol is a constant temptation to the lawless and weak-minded.

The national government should prohibit sale of pistols by mail. It can be done. It should be done.

--Danville Register

From the Danville Register as reprinted on the editorial page of the Durham Morning Herald, Sunday, Dec. 28, 1924

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