THE AUTOMATIC GUN DISGRACE 



THE $36,000,000 of capital behind the automatic and 

 pump shotguns still have, in the United States, the 

 middle of the road. During the two years that have elapsed 

 since the victory over the slaughter guns in New Jersey, 

 we have been so continuously busy with other campaigns 

 that those weapons have not received the continuous at- 

 tention that they deserve. The makers of state laws are 

 very much to blame for the increasing circulation and use 

 of these reprehensible machines for slaughter. 



There now lies before me an advertisement of an "ex- 

 tension" for the magazines of automatic shotguns, increas- 

 ing by four the number of cartridges that can be fired with- 

 out removing the gun from the shoulder. In other words, 

 with the "extension" (costing only $5), ten shots now can 

 be fired by ten pulls of the trigger without once stopping 

 to reload the gun! 



Undoubtedly, the owners of automatic and pump guns 

 would use Gatling guns on American game if they could. 

 In many states, aye, even in New York, the desire among 

 certain hunters for automatic guns amounts to a perfect 

 craze. During the six months following its first appearance, 

 the supply of the new Winchester Automatic was months 

 behind the demand. These weapons seem to be specially 

 desired by poor shots, in order to help out their daily show- 

 ing, and make themselves seem more like real sportsmen; 

 and no gunner is too poor to pay his $35 for one of these 

 weapons. In Florida one year ago we saw a rag-clad and 

 emaciated hook-worm victim slowly marching along a street 

 with an automatic shot-gun on his shoulder, quite as if its 

 price were no object. 



The trouble with these machine guns lies in the fact that 

 they greatly increase the slaughter of wildfowl by enabling 



