Alabama
Permanent URL for this collectionhttps://dspace.firearmsresearchcenter.org/id/frc0001/2963
Alabama
This jurisdictional hub aggregates FRC holdings related to Alabama. It supports research on the state’s firearms history, technology, law, policy, and culture from the territorial period to the present.
- Legal sources: statutes and session laws, administrative code, attorney general opinions, appellate decisions, and select municipal ordinances.
- Historical materials: newspapers, photographs, maps, catalogs, company records, and oral histories tied to Alabama people and places.
- Research outputs: technical reports, academic studies, training manuals, and curated datasets relevant to the state.
Cite the Firearms Research Center and the item’s handle/DOI when using materials. Rights and licensing vary by item.
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Item type:Item, 1867 Ala. Code 169(1867)§ 434, pt. 10: Tax of $2 on pistols or revolvers in the possession of private persons, excluding dealers, and a tax of $3 on "all bowie knives, or knives of the like description." Non-payment was punishable by seizure and, unless payment was made within 10 days with a penalty of an additional 50%, subject to sale by public auction.Item type:Item, Item type:Item, 1876 Ala. Code 929–30(1871)§ 4406: Prohibited hunting wild hogs with a dog and gun without giving notice to "at least three freeholders in the neighborhood." Violators fined not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars. § 4407: Prohibited hunting deer by fire and with a gun. Violators fined not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars.Item type:Item, 1862 Ala. Laws 8(Ala. Statutes, 1862)Wartime tax of 5% on net profits of various businesses, including establishments that produced guns, pistols, pikes, and Bowie knives.Item type:Item, 1886 Ala. Laws 36(1886)Imposed occupational tax of three hundred dollars on dealers of pistols, pistol cartridges, Bowie-knives, and dirksItem type:Item, 1876 Ala. Laws 202(1875)§ 494, pt. 15: Imposed $50 occupational tax on dealers of pistols, Bowie knives, and dirk knives.Item type:Item, 1876 Ala. Code 914(1876)Prohibited assault and battery of another with a cowhide, stick, or whip while in possession of a pistol or other deadly weapon with the intent to intimidate another to prevent the person from defending himself. Violators imprisoned not less than two nor more than twenty years.Item type:Item, 1868 Ala. Laws 333(1868)§ 112, pt. 28: Required licenses for dealers in firearms. Licenses were priced at twenty dollars.Item type:Item, A Revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Tuscaloosa 163 (1885)(1885)Prohibited keeping more than twenty-five pounds of gun powder or other explosive. Also prohibited sale of gun powder by artificial light.Item type:Item, W.M. S. Thorington, The Code of Ordinances of the City Council of Montgomery 223, 225, 229 (1888)(1888)These ordinances restrict the use, possession, and transport of weapons and explosives: firing guns in public is banned except for self-defense or law enforcement, and discharging firearms or fireworks requires official permission; carrying concealed weapons is prohibited and punishable by fines or hard labor, though fear of attack may mitigate the offense; and transporting gunpowder must be done safely and out of public view.Item type:Item, A Revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Tuscaloosa 170 (1885)(1885)Prohibited carrying concealed any brass knuckles, slung-shot, or other weapon of like kind, or carries a rifle, shot gun walking cane. Violators fined not exceeding one hundred dollars, and may be imprisoned, or put to hard labor not exceeding sixty days.Item type:Item, A Revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Tuscaloosa 149-50 (1885)(1885)Prohibited use of firearms while fighting in a public place, except for in self defense. On conviction, violator shall pay a fine of no more than $25 and face imprisonment or work for the city for a period not exceeding 30 days.Item type:Item, 1874-75 Ala. Laws 6(1875)Reduced tax rate to 0.75% of the value of any pistols, guns, dirks, and Bowie knives.Item type:Item, Item type:Item, J. M. Falkner, The Code of Ordinances of the City Council of Montgomery 225 (1888)(1879)Prohibited carrying of a concealed Bowie knife, pistol, air gun, slungshot, brass knuckles, or other deadly or dangerous weapon. Punishable by a fine of $1-100.Item type:Item, 1876 Ala. Code 929-30(1871)Prohibited hunting wild hogs with a dog and gun without giving notice to "at least three freeholders in the neighborhood." Violators fined not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars. Prohibited fire-hunting with a gun.Item type:Item, 1878-79 Ala. Laws 437(1878)Ch. 314, § 14: Authorized Uniontown to license dealers of pistols, Bowie knives, and dirk knives.Item type:Item, John W.A. Sanford, The Code of the City of Montgomery, Prepared in Pursuance of an Order of the City Council of Montgomery 7-9 (1861)(1861)Granted the mayor and aldermen the power and authority to assess, levy, and collect annual taxes on pistol galleries.Item type:Item, 1876 Ala. Code 989(1876)§ 4809: Prohibited the concealed carrying of any Bowie knife, or any other knife of like kind or description, pistol, air gun, slungshot, brass knuckles, or other deadly or dangerous weapon, unless the person was threatened with, or had good reason to apprehend, an attack, or " while traveling, or setting out on a journey." Punishable by fine of $50-300 and imprisonment of not more than 6 months.Item type:Item, 1888-89 Ala. Laws 82(1889)Prohibited associating, assembling, congregating together for the purpose of drilling, parading, or marching, or bearing arms in such capacity. Violators guilty a misdemeanor & fined not more than one thousand dollars.Item type:Item, 1861 Ala. Laws 214-15(1861)Appropriated $6000 to purchase Bowie knives and Bowie knife pikes for the 48th regiment of the Alabama militia at an inflated price of $3 per Bowie knife due to Bowie knife restrictions. The average value of a Bowie knife was fifty cents in other states.Item type:Item, A Revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Tuscaloosa 161 (1885)(1885)§ 375 prohibited discharging a gun, pistol, or other fire-arm within the corporate limits of Tuscaloosa. Violators fined not exceeding twenty-five dollars. § 376 prohibited shooting gravel or other substance with a. gravel-shooter, sling-shot, or other implement of like kind within the city. Violators fined not exceeding five dollars.Item type:Item, 1874-75 Ala. Laws 41(1874)§ 102, pt. 27: Imposed $25 occupational tax on dealers of pistols, Bowie knives, and dirk knives.Item type:Item, A. H. Jackson & James W. Lapsley, Code of the City of Selma 96 (1862)(1862)Prohibition on concealed carry without legitimate reason.Item type:Item, 1887 Ala. Code 194(1887)Imposed a tax of $300 on the sale of pistols, pistol cartridges, Bowie knives, and dirk knives. Imposed $25 tax on shooting galleries.Item type:Item, 1880-81 Ala. Laws 38-39(1881)Prohibited the concealed carrying of any Bowie knife, or any other knife of like kind or description, pistol, or firearm of " any other kind or description," or air gun. Punishable by fine of $50-300 and imprisonment of not more than 6 months. Further provided that fines collected under the statute would be monetary and not in-kind payments.Item type:Item, 1887 Ala. Code 93(1887)These statutes prohibit dangerous and irresponsible uses of weapons in public settings. They make it illegal to use or attempt to use firearms while fighting in public places (unless in self-defense), punishable by fines and possible jail or hard labor. They also ban discharging firearms along or across public roads, with smaller fines attached. Additionally, they forbid selling, giving, or lending pistols or certain knives (like bowie knives) to boys under eighteen, with penalties ranging from moderate to significant fines. Finally, they prohibit the storage of more than 50 punds of gunpowder.Item type:Item, A. H. Jackson & James W. Lapsley, Code of the City of Selma 91 (1862)(1862)Enhanced sentencing for assault with a firearm.Item type:Item, 1866 Ala. Pen. Code 63(1866)§ 204: Prohibited selling, giving, or lending any pistol, Bowie-knife, or other knife of like kind to a minor under eighteen years of age. Violators fined not less than fifty nor more than five hundred dollars.Item type:Item, 1876 Ala. Code 882-83(1877)These sections make it illegal to carry certain concealed weapons without a valid reason (such as self-defense concerns or traveling). Concealing weapons like knives, pistols, firearms, or air guns can result in fines and up to six months of jail or hard labor. Carrying concealed weapons like brass knuckles or slung-shots carries similar but generally lighter penalties. However, possessing a disguised weapon like a rifle or shotgun cane is treated much more severely, with significantly higher fines and a mandatory prison sentence of at least two years.Item type:Item, A Revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Tuscaloosa 162 (1885)(1885)§ 380; Prohibited carrying concealed a Bowie-knife, any other knife of like kind, dirk, pistol, other fire-arms of like kind. Violators fined not exceeding fifty dollars and possibly sentenced to hard labor not exceeding sixty days.Item type:Item, 1865-66 Ala. Laws 7(1866)§ 2, pt. 11: Imposed an annual tax of two dollars on each person who is not a regular dealer but in possession of pistols and revolvers. Imposed an annual tax of three dollars on each person who is not a regular dealer but in possession of bowie knives or knives of like description.Item type:Item, John W.A. Sanford, The Code of the City of Montgomery, Prepared in Pursuance of an Order of the City Council of Montgomery 50 (1861)(1861)Prohibited the discharge of any gun, pistol, or any kind of fire-arms within city limits. Violators fined five dollars.