The Town's New Stance on Concealed Weapons
A 1905 ordinance criminalizes the carrying of concealed weapons, requiring special permission from the Mayor for exceptions.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
An ordinance prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons and fixing the penalty therefor. Be it ordained by the council of the town of Kennewick: Section 1. If any person should carry upon his person any concealed weapon, consisting of either a revolver, pistol or other fire-arms, or any knife (other than an ordinary pocket knife), or any dirk, dagger, sling-shot, billy or metal knuckles, he or she shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than five dollars, nor more than twenty-five dollars, or be imprisoned in the town jail not more than twenty days. This section shall not apply to police officers or persons having permission to carry such weapons from the mayor.
“If any person should carry upon his person any concealed weapon... he or she shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.”
This ordinance captures the early 20th-century frontier-to-civilization transition in Washington. It places the power to authorize concealed carry firmly in the hands of the executive office—a sharp contrast to modern firearm regulation debates.
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