1106 ARTICLE 27

Concealed Weapons.

An. Code, 1924, sec. 42. 1912, sec. 39. 1904, sec. 33. 1888, sec. 30. 1886, ch. 375. 1894,
ch. 547. 1904, ch. 114. 1914, ch. 146, secs. 30, 30A and 30B.

40.¹ Every person who shall wear or carry any pistol, dirk-knife, bowie
knife, slung shot, billy, sand club, metal knuckles, razor, or any other
dangerous or deadly weapon of any kind whatsoever (pen knives excepted)
concealed upon or about his person, and every person who shall wear or
carry any such weapon openly with the intent or purpose of injuring any
person in any unlawful manner, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and
upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars,
or be imprisoned.in jail, or the Maryland House of Correction, for not more
than two years; and in cases of conviction, if it shall appear from the evi-
dence that such weapon was carried, concealed as aforesaid or openly, with
the deliberate, purpose of injuring the person or destroying the life of
another, the court, or justice of the peace, presiding in the case, shall impose
the highest sentence of imprisonment hereinbefore prescribed.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the carrying of any
of the weapons mentioned in the preceding paragraph of this section by an
officer of this State, or of any county or city .therein, who is entitled or
required to carry such weapon as part of, his official equipment, or by any
conservator of the peace, who is entitled or required to carry such weapon
as part of his official equipment, or by any officer or conservator of the peace
of some other State temporarily sojourning in this State, or by any special
agent of a railway, or by any person who shall carry such weapon as a
reasonable precaution against apprehended danger, but the tribunal before
which any case arising under the provisions of this section may be-tried,
shall have the right to judge of the reasonableness of the carrying of any
such weapon, and the proper occasion therefor, under the evidence in
the case.

All prosecutions for violations of the provisions of this section may be
either upon presentment and indictment in any court having criminal
jurisdiction in this State, or by trial before any justice of the peace in and
for the county or city where the offense occurs, and jurisdiction original
and concurrent with the said courts having criminal jurisdiction is hereby
given to the said justices of the peace, and they shall have power to issue all
processes and do all Acts which may be necessary for the exercise of said
jurisdiction, and may try and determine all such cases and may pronounce
judgment and impose sentence therein to the same extent as the aforesaid
courts having criminal jurisdiction could do in such cases, if such cases
were tried before such court without a jury; provided, however, that if any
person, when brought before any such justice having jurisdiction of the
case, shall, before the trial for the alleged offense, pray a jury trial, or if
the State's Attorney, for the county or city where the offense occurs shall,
before the trial of such, alleged offense, pray a jury trial on behalf of the
State, it shall be the duty of such justice to commit such alleged offender
fpr trial, or to hold him to bail to appear for trial in the court having
criminal jurisdiction in the case, at its then or next session, and to return
said commitment or recognizance, with the names and residences of the

¹ The act of 1914, ch. 146, repealed and re-enacted sec. 30 of the Code of 1888 and
added two additional sections to be known as secs. 30A and 30B of said Code. Sec. 30 of
the Code of 1888 becomes sec. 42 of this Code, and for purposes, of convenience, the
two additional sections provided for by said act are here codified as a part of sec. 42.
The paragraphs in sec. 42 indicate the beginning of the two new sections.