834

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

		threatened injury to their lives or persons, may reasonably arm themselves for self -protection; and the law has been made an instrument of injustice to those not deserving of punish- ment; therefore,
	Amendment.	SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That section thirty (30), of article twenty-seven (27) of the Code of Public General Laws, entitled "Crimes ,and Punishments," sub-title "Concealed Weapons," be and the same is hereby amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows :
	Carrying concealed weapons.	30. Every person not being a conservator of the peace en- titled or required to carry such weapon as a part of his official equipment, and not carrying such weapon as a reasonable pre- caution against apprehended danger, 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 (penknives excepted,) concealed upon or about his person, and every person who shall carry or wear any such weapon openly, with the intent or purpose of injur- ing any person in any unlawful manner, and not for any pro-
	Penalty.	per purpose of self-protection, shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or be imprisoned not more than two years in jail or in the house of correction ; and the court or jury before whom any such case may be tried shall in all cases have the right to judge of the reasonableness of the carrying of any such weapon, and of the proper occa- sion therefor, upon satisfactory proof; and in case, upon con- viction of any offender, the court, in view of the evidence, shall be of the opinion that such weapon was carried with the deliberate purpose of inflicting grievous and unlawful injury to the life or person of another, it shall in that case be the duty of the court to impose the highest sentence of imprison- ment hereinbefore prescribed.
	Effective.	SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That this act shall take effect from the date of its passage. Approved April 6th, 1894.