FRC Jurisdictions Portal
Permanent URL for this communityhttps://dspace.firearmsresearchcenter.org/id/frc0001/1
This top community organizes Firearms Research Center holdings by jurisdiction. It provides separate collections for U.S. states, territories, the District of Columbia, and the federal jurisdiction, spanning the territorial period to the present.
Scope of Content
- Legal sources: statutes and session laws, administrative code, attorney general opinions, appellate decisions, and selected municipal ordinances.
- Historical materials: newspapers, photographs, maps, catalogs, company records, and oral histories tied to specific places and periods.
- Research outputs: FRC reports, datasets, and interpretive materials that contextualize legal and technical developments.
How to Use
- Browse: open a jurisdiction collection to view items for that state, territory, DC, or the federal jurisdiction.
- Search: use keywords and filter by Jurisdiction, Date Issued, and Category. Record any Exceptions noted for applicability.
- Cite: use the item’s identifier and provided links (Original Source and Duke reference) when available.
Metadata & Standards
Items are described using Dublin Core with standardized fields for Jurisdiction, Date Issued, Category, and Exceptions to support precise discovery and comparison.
Questions
For questions about coverage, rights, or submissions, contact the Firearms Research Center (firearmsresearchcenter.org).
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Item type:Item, Item type:Item, 2026-10-01 Attribution Test #4(2026-10-01)Item type:Item, Alabama TEST submission(2026)Item type:Item, John G. Aikin, A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama 391–92 (1833)(1805)Prohibited any "slave" from keeping or carrying any gun or ammunition without permission from a justice of the peace.Item type:Item, 1841 Ala. Laws 148-49(1841)§ 4: Prohibited the concealed carrying of "a bowie knife, or knife or instrument of the like kind or description, by whatever name called, dirk or any other deadly weapon, pistol or any species of firearms, or air gun," unless the person is threatened with an attack or is traveling or "setting out on a journey." Punished by a fine of $50-100.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, 1898 Ala. Laws 190(1898)Placed a one hundred dollar tax on dealers of pistols, Bowie knives, or dirk knives of one hundred dollars. Also taxed dealers of pistol and rifle cartridges at ten dollars.Item type:Item, 1899 Ala. Laws 154(1899)Prohibited the discharge of any gun, pistol, or other firearm on a passenger train. Also prohibited reckless handling of any firearm or other weapon in the presence of other people on trains. Violators fined not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned not exceeding twelve months, or both at discretion of the court.Item type:Item, 1833 Ala. Laws 627(1823)Prohibited any slave from keeping or carrying any gun or ammunition without permission from a justice of the peace.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, 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, 1892 Ala. Laws 183(1892)Imposed $300 occupational tax on dealers of pistols, pistol cartridges, Bowie knives, and dirk knives, and clarified that cartridges that can be used in a pistol shall be deemed pistol cartridges.Item type:Item, Item type:Item, 1936 Ala. Laws 51-54(1936)The Uniform Firearms Act of 1936 established a comprehensive regulatory framework for the possession, sale, and carriage of pistols (defined as firearms with barrels under twelve inches) to aid in the suppression of "crimes of violence." The Act mandates that individuals must obtain a license from local authorities to carry a pistol—excepting law enforcement, military personnel, and certain merchants—and strictly prohibits possession by those previously convicted of violent crimes. It regulates commercial transactions by requiring retail licenses, a 48-hour waiting period for deliveries, and detailed record-keeping for every sale, while also forbidding the transfer of weapons to minors, drug addicts, or those of "unsound mind." Furthermore, the law increases penalties for crimes committed while armed, prohibits the alteration of identification marks, and sets a uniform fine of up to $500 or one year of imprisonment for any violations of its provisions.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, John G. Aikin, A Digest of the Laws of the State of Alabama 201-02 (1822)(1822)Prohibited hunting with fire at night-time. Punishable by a fine of fifty dollars. Only construed to "embrace persons hunting deer with a gun and fire at night."Item type:Item, 1852 Ala. Code 588(1852)Prohibited the concealed carry of a pistol, or any other firearms, while not being threatened or having good reason to believe attack is imminent. Also prohibited the concealed carry of knives and handguns. Violators fined not less than fifty, but no more than three hundred dollars.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, 1837 Ala. Laws 7(1837)Mandated that any person carrying a Bowie knife or Arkansas toothpick who cuts or stabs another, causing them to die, shall be adjudged as a crime of murder, with the offender having held malice aforethought. Imposed tax of $100 on any person selling, giving, or disposing of any Bowie knife or Arkansas toothpick. Failure to pay the tax was subject to penalty of perjury.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, 1909 Ala. Laws 258(1909)This Alabama legislative act establishes a general prohibition against carrying a concealed pistol or carrying any pistol on property not owned or controlled by the individual. While it provides exemptions for specific law enforcement and federal officials, it mandates penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment or hard labor for violators. Notably, the act allows defendants to present evidence of a "good reason" to fear an attack as a potential justification or means to reduce the fine, though the burden of proof for such an excuse rests entirely on the defendant during trial.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, 1839 Ala. Laws 67(1839)Prohibited the concealed carrying of "any species of fire arms, or any bowie knife, Arkansas tooth-pick, or any other knife of the like kind, dirk, or any other deadly weapon." Punished by fine of $50-100 and imprisonment not to exceed 3 months.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, 1907 Ala. Laws 80(1907)Prohibited the selling or bartering any pistol of less than twenty-four inches in length of barrel or any brass knucks, metallic knucks, dirks, slungshot, Bowie knives, or knife of like kind. Violators fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars, and perhaps also sentenced to hard labor not less than one nor more than three months. Likewise, prohibited possession of these weapons off of one's property.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, Clement Comer Clay, Digest of the Laws of Alabama 413 (1843)(1843)Prohibited fighting or discharging a firearm or air-gun in any city, town, or militia muster, or public assembly. Violators fined not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned not exceeding six months, or both at the discretion of the judge.Item type:Item, 1856 Ala. Laws 17(1856)That anyone who shall sell or give or lend, to any male minor, a bowie knife, or knife or instrument of the like kind or description, by whatever name called, or air gun or pistol, shall, on conviction be fined not less than three hundred, nor more than one thousand dollars.Item type:Item, Clement Comer Clay, Digest of the Laws of Alabama 416 (1843)(1843)§ 31. 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, 1897 Ala. Code 171(1897)Prohibited presenting any gun, pistol, or other firearm at another person. Footnote states the law not intended to violate one's constitutional right to self-defense.