FIREARMS FORBIDDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 300, 19 December 1922, Page 5

FIREARMS FORBIDDEN.

DEFENCE OF "DEFENCE " USELESS. THE COURT WILL PROTECT. The defence put up in the Police Court this morning, that a defendant charged I with bringing a firearm into New Zealand without a permit carried tho w-eapon for self-protection, proved useless, the Magistrate (Mr. Poynton, S.M.) j stating that the Court would afford people protection, and issuing a stern warning that any individual found in 'unlawful possession of a firearm in future would incur the full penalty —a fine of £IOO, or three months' imprisonment. The man charged in this instance was William Alfred Aubrey Morris, a young seaman on the steamer Kauri, who had been found with a revolver in his possession. The Chief Detective said that defendant's ship arrived at Auckland from Newcastle on 16th inst., and when Detective Gourley interviewed him he at first denied possession of the weapon. However, he afterwards produced the revolver from a hiding place and handed it over. Defendant stated that when in Newcastle all the crew, with the exception of an ordinary seaman and himself refused duty and were sentenced to 28 days' imprisonment. (He was fearful of interference through sticking to the ship and so purchased the revolver and two boxes of cartridges for £4. He brought the weapon ashore at Auckland. It was unlawful to bring firearms into the country at all without a permit and the police wished to stop the practice. Mr. Moody said that defendant had done what little he could in the interests of the owners by staying in his ship when the others went ashore. He was appointed watchman, and as the ship lay at a very dark portion of the docks at j Newcastle, he purchased the revolver as ! a protection. Defendant did not know of the existence of the Arms Act of New Zaland, or he would not have brought the revolver ashore. Counsel went on to refer to acts of violence by members of the Seamen's Union in Auckland. The captain of a ship had been murderously assaulted, and only last week, he said, a free labourer had been brutally assaulted by union sailors in Customs Street. A man was entitled to some protection and this man, fearing some trouble, took his revolver ashore —and there was a suggestion that if " the gallant members of the Seamen's Union interfered they might have got more than i expected; one or two of them might | have got " winged." But as far as counsel could see there was not too much valour in their actions and the imere sight of a revolver might have turned their stomachs. He asked, under the circumstances, that the man be discharged without a conviction—the revolver would be confiscated. Mr. Poynton, S.M., said the matter could not be overlooked. The use of revolvers was a very serious matter. Just now we were affected by a labour (disturbance, one side against "the other, and the use of revolvers might lead to a massacre. There had lately been reports of a massacre of miners in America, the the shooting of a dozen sheriff officers there, and the shooting of the President of Poland, whilst the wish of the majority in Ireland was overthrown by a few people with firearms; and if the carrying of revolvers was permitted here we would have the same state of things. "The fact that this man bought the revolver under such circumstances shows ,that he was prepared to use it," added I the Magistrate. "That is just the thing we want to prevent. In cases o fassault, offenders are severely punished by the Court and it must be understood that I the Court will protect, and men must I rely on this protection, without carry-' I ing revolvers. If the other side started to arm there would be something of the same kind as is happening in other parts of the world where the carrying of weapons is not severely restricted. I cannot overlook this. Defendant is fined £lO and the revolver declared confiscated. : I am issuing a warning now that if there is any more of this revolver business during this labour trouble, the full limit of punishment will be imposed—a fine of £IOO or Chree months' imprisonment. Therefore others had better not •follow the defendant' 3 example.