A Test Case: H. M. Police Court Magistrate and By-law 35
In fining Najim Khan, an I[n-dian watchman, $5 at H.M. Police Court on Saturday for having in his possession a six-chambered revolver and 160 rounds of ammunition contrary to By-law 35, Mr. G. W. King commented upon what he submitted to ba the loose construction of certain regulations.
The charge, said the Magistrate, was the first that had ever been brought under the by-law in ques. tion, which read that no person without permission should keep firearms except for sporting, volunteer or police purposes. It had been proved that the defendant was in possession of the weapon and the ammunition. His Worship admitted that a single firearm did not necessarily come within the by-law. He would not say that it could not, but later in the by-law there were significant words about ammunition. In the present case the defendant had had 100 rounds. That appeared to bring him within the four walls of the by-law. If anyone, however, were in possession of a solitary firearm without ammunition ne court could convict. It would be necessary for the police to appreciate fully what this bvilaw really aimed at. The Mosistrate said he would say nothing about the traffic regula-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.