"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Saturday, the sixteenth of March dawned dreary and snowing again, as Marshal Guyer arrived at the office after leaving his horse at the livery. Another in a series of gloomy days. He had a list of everything they had agreed upon at their impromptu meeting the day before in the Kalispell Union office for this July Fourth celebration. He needed to get over to the telegraph office and have young Wigfall wire the circus people to see if hiring them was even a possibility.
He hung his hat on an antler nailed to the wall, then took down the canteen of water for the coffee pot and spooned in the grounds before he set it on the stove, which needed to be restarted. The coals, banked from the night before, would start the kindling he tossed into the cast iron firebox. It would be roaring in minutes when he would add chunks of wood from the box on the floor next to it. Morning tasks.
He unbuckled his gun belt, then hung it on the peg, then dropped into his chair, almost ready to face the day. Other than this daily dusting of snow, there was little to complain about. Any circulars on his desk were for men far from Kalispell, not that they might not head north, but it was still cold and wet. Sleat, snow, mist, and rain. It was a wet beginning to spring and that should deter anyone from heading north, though possible, men on the dodge would likely head south, or west, where the weather and the pickings were better.
That thought was interrupted by a familiar figure opening the door of the office, taking off his hat, and slapping it against his rust colored chaps to knock the snow off. "Mornin' Speed," Pike said. "Was hopin' winter was over, but maybe not."
Pike hung his heavy coat and hat on the pegs provided then went to the stove that was starting to generate heat. "Good to be in here, not much doin' on the ranch, and there's more'n a dozen hands to hndle whatever needs doin'.
"Good to have you back, even if there's nothin' doing here either, just bad weather. But a few of us were thinking about bringing in a circus and fireworks for July Fourth." Speed told him. "Put together a big hurah for the town and all the outlying ranches and farms in the area."
"Now that sounds good! Plenty to get done as soon as it clears, and it will, just seems like this winters goin' on forever. But we know it ain't. Kinda like it quiet, none of that fightin' goin' on. 'cept wheeler's been busy keepin' us awake at night some. Glad when that passes as well."
"I'll bet! Still planin' to wed come June, she hasn't set the date yet, but that'll happen pretty soon." Speed announced. "All the rest of the plan remains the same you, Em, and Wheeler are prominent in the wedding, just like we had said before. Sometimes I wish weddings were simple, but then there's women involved, and after all, it is their day."
"I was wonderin', Speed, ya know, town here is peaceable most of the time. But given that odd occasion when gunplay interrupts the calm, and we have to face whatever that problem is, maybe there needs to be something that can be done to curtail such things before the 'who hit John takes effect.' You know?" Pike theorized about a problem that all too often reared its ugly head and put lives in danger.
"Been thinking about that since I was shot. Yes, there needs to be something that can be done about it. I've wondered how the Town Council might respond to some sort of ordinance about restricting the carrying of guns in town limits." Speed suggested. "Enforcing it might be a problem, but then again, most folks in town are pretty level headed about such things. I mean, I don't think anyone wants anymore of what happened when the bank was hit, or the shooting by ol' Cabot Flagg on the boardwalk, justified or not."
Pike took his usual seat, "You've got a point, Speed. A real good one. Killin's in the street, that gets old real quick, and most folks are terrified of them happenin'. Ain't always them that's havin' the problem what gets killed. Yeah. We need to put something together an' maybe present it to the town Council."
The two men looked at one another, an idea was taking shape.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
The room was warming up nicely, as it usually did. The coffee had boiled and Two cups were filled as Speed took his seat upon delivery of the coffee, it was a good idea, maybe one whose time had come. True, there were rowdy men who came to town, Evergreen riders looking for trouble, and in some cases, the same could be said for riders of every ranch in the territory, including those from Lost Lake. Men looking to blow off some steam, mixing it with alcohol, and all of them carrying guns.
Speed drew out a piece of paper and took up his pencil, "Gonna jot down some notes about this ordinance as we go along."
"Good idea, I mean when I think about it, the thing ain't gotta be no long winded thing, just wordy enough to get the point across, right?" Pike stated, taking up his cup and blowing across the surface of the liquid.
"Well, maybe something like to provide against the carrying of firearms, like all firearms, pistols, long guns, and shotguns. Maybe even knives? I just think we need to piece together something that protects the people here."
"Sure, reckon that's what it's about, but maybe some could was they to get a permit, from us or the judge? I mean there'd be them who has a need to carry a gun in town limits." Pike suggested.
And so they began to put together an ordinance to prohibit the carrying of guns within town limits.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
When you have two men who are familiar enough with the results of gunplay sit down to put together what would be their idea of a city ordinance you can bet the two laid out a lot of words on that subject, and all with the best of intentions to protect the community from the dangers of uncontrolled gunplay. So you would think Guyer's idea of a not to wordy law would be easy enough for the two to agree on, but there was a difference between the two.
Speed was a man out of New York searching out natural resources for his partnership and an experienced Union Infantry Officer. Pike was a man who was known as a gun hand, a gunfighter, and a gun for hire. A man who killed men over range disputes, over attacks on farmers that needed to be defended, sometimes against their wishes, but a man who took lives nonetheless. How many, enough. But there were no notches in the handles of his guns. That was for rank amateurs.
So they got their ideas out and down on paper, then, they began to whittle down the list of 'thou shall nots' to a simple list that neither could dispute, and in the end, these were those words;
Ordinance: "To Provide against Carrying of Deadly Weapons"
1. It is hereby declared unlawful to carry in the hand or upon the person or otherwise any deadly weapon within the limits of the town of Kalispell, without first obtaining a permit in writing from either the Town Marshal or the presiding Judge.
2: This prohibition does not extend to persons immediately leaving or entering the city, who, with good faith, and within reasonable time are proceeding to deposit, or take from the place of deposit such deadly weapon.
3: All firearms of every description, as well as bowie knives and dirks, are included within the prohibition of this ordinance.
Once they had reached this simplistic three-paragraph list they both sat back, rather pleased with themselves. which called for another cup of coffee.
"Well then, maybe we it on this ord'nence fer a bit, let it simmer. Make sure we got everything in it we want. I mean, you know, maybe we overlooked something before we take it to Wentworth." Pike said, "Not like we might not've overlooked something."
Speed nodded, "It looks good as it is, but you could well be right. We might have overlooked something, then again, I have my doubts about that." Speed expressed. "This'll be something a lot of folks won't like. I do know that the majority of those here in town will be in favor of it. There will always be those thinking we're infringing on their rights, but they aren't the ones hit by stray bullets, losing windows, or digging slugs out of their doors and awning posts."
And they had had too many complaints about property damage as well as those wounded or killed by accident or on purpose. It was time that they did something to try and stop the senseless shootings. They could and would present the idea, but it was the town council that would have to adopt the ordinance so that they could enforce it.
