FRC Jurisdictions Portal
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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.
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Item type:Item, The Compact with the Charter and Laws of the Colony of New Plymouth 1, 8-12 (William Brigham ed., 1836)(1620)Authorized the colony's council to appoint officials, enact laws consistent with English law, impose martial law during emergencies, recruit settlers, transport supplies duty-free, and use military force to defend the colony and exclude unauthorized inhabitants.Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, Stat. at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 127 (1809)(1623)24. That no man go or send abroad without a sufficient partie will armed. 25. That men go not to worke in the ground without The samL their arms (and a centinell upon them). 27. That the commander of every plantation take care that there be sufficient of powder and amunition with powder in the plantation under his command and their pieces fixt and their arms compleate.Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, Stat. at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 198 (1809)(1632)"NOE man shall goe to worke in the grounds without theire armes, and a centinell uppon them places where the commander shall require it." And "ALL men that are fittinge to beare armes, shall bringe their peices to the church"Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, Stat. at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 226 (1809)(1639)"ALL persons except negroes to be provided with arms and ammunition or be fined at pleasure of the Governor and Council"Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, Stat. at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 127 (1809)(1624)"That men go not to worke in the ground without their arms (and a centinell upon them)." And "That the commander of every plantation take care that there be sufficient of powder and amunition within the plantation under his command and their pieces fixt and their arms compleate."Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, Stat. at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 173 (1809)(1632)"NOE man shall goe or send abroade without a sufficient party well armed." And "NOE man shall goe to worke in the grounds without theire armes, and a centinell uppon them" And "ALL men that are fittinge to beare armes, shall bringe their pieces to the church"Item type:Item, The Compact with the Charter and Laws of the Colony of New Plymouth 31 (William Brigham ed., 1836)(1632)"[E]very freeman or other inhabitant must provide for himselfe and each under him able to beare arms a musket and other serviceable peece with bandeleroes and other apurtanances," plus two pounds of powder and 10 pounds of bullets.Item type:Item, 1 Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England 190 (Nathaniel B. Shurtleff ed., 1853)(1637)Required everyone 18 and older to "come to the publike assemblies with their muskets, or other peeces fit for servise, furnished with match, powder, & bullets."Item type:Item, 1619: Laws enacted by the First General Assembly of Virginia 70, reprinted in 1 Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia 9–14 (H. R. McIlwaine and John P. Kennedy eds., 1905)(1619)Prohibited selling or giving "Indians" arms or ammunition. Punishable by hanging.Item type:Item, 1 Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England 94 (John Russell Bartlett ed., 1856)(1639)Ordered that "no man" shall go two miles from town unarmed. Also ordered that none shall come to any public meeting without his weapon. Penalty of five shillings per violation.Item type:Item, 1 Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay 392 (1853)(1620)"For such of or nation as sell munition, gunns, or other furniture, to arme the Indians against vs, or teach them the vse of armes, wee would haue yow to apphend them and send them prisons for England, where they will not escape severe punishmt, being expressly against the proclamacon."Item type:Item, 1 Archives of Maryland 77 (William Hand Browne ed., 1885) (enacted 1639)(1639)Required "every housekeeeper" to keep and bear one gun of "bastard muskett boare" design, bandeloors or shott bag, one pound of powder, four pounds of pistol or musket shot, sufficient quantity of matchlocks & flints, a sword, and belt.Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, The Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 127 (1809)(1624)"That men go not to worke in the ground without their arms (and a centinell upon them)." And "That the commander of every plantation take care that there be sufficient of powder and amunition within the plantation under his command and their pieces fixt and their arms compleate."Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, The Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 127 (1809)(1623)That no man go or send abroad without a sufficient partie will armed.Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, The Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 198 (1809)(1632)"NOE man shall goe to worke in the grounds without theire armes, and a centinell uppon them places where the commander shall require it." And "ALL men that are fittinge to beare armes, shall bringe their peices to the church"Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, The Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 226 (1809)(1639)"ALL persons except negroes to be provided with arms and ammunition or be fined at pleasure of the Governor and Council"Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, The Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 173 (1809)(1632)"NOE man shall goe or send abroade without a sufficient party well armed." And "NOE man shall goe to worke in the grounds without theire armes, and a centinell uppon them" And "ALL men that are fittinge to beare armes, shall bringe their pieces to the church"Item type:Item, 1633 Va. Acts 219(1633)Acts Made by the Grand Assembly, Holden At James City, August 21st, 1633, An Act That No Arms or Ammunition Be Sold To The Indians, Act X: It is ordered and appointed, That if any person or persons shall sell or barter any guns, powder, shot, or any arms or ammunition unto any Indian or Indians within this territory, the said person or persons shall forfeit to public uses all the goods and chattels that he or they then have to their own use, and shall also suffer imprisonment during life, the one half of which forfeiture shall be to him or them that shall inform and the other half to public uses.Item type:Item, 1639 Va. Acts 224(1639)Act 17: An act in 1637, which makes it a felony to barter with the Indians repealed, and enacted that for trading with them for arms and ammunition shall be felony, and for other commodities imprisonment at discretion of the Governor and Council.Item type:Item, 1632 Va. Acts 198(1632)Act 45: All men that are fitting to bear arms, shall bring their pieces to the church upon pain for every offence, if the default be in the master, to pay 2lb of tobacco, to be disposed by the church-wardens, who shall levy it by distress, and the servants shall be punished [ ] commander.Item type:Item, The First Charter of Virginia (1606)(1606)Granted subjects all liberties, franchises, and immunities of free denizens. Also granted subjects the right to take, load, carry, transport armour, weapons, ordinances, muniiton, poweder, shott, victuals,and "all other things" necessary for the use and defense of the people.Item type:Item, 1639 Va. Acts 226, Act 10(1639)All persons except negroes to be provided with arms and ammunition or be fined at pleasure of the Governor and Council.Item type:Item, 1631 Va. Acts 174(1631)Act 56: It is ordered and appointed, that the commanders of all the several plantations, do upon holy days exercise the men under his command, and that the commanders yearly do likewise upon the first day of December, take a muster of their men, together with the women and children, and their ages, countries, and towns, where they were born, with the ships they came in, and year of the Lord, as also of arms and munition . . .Item type:Item, 1631 Va. Acts 173, Acts 46-48(1631)NOE man shall goe or send abroade without a sufficient party well armed.Item type:Item, Narratives of Early Virginia 273 (Lyon G. Tyler ed., 1625)(1619)"All persons whatsoever upon the Sabaoth daye shall frequente divine service and sermons both forenoon and afternoon, and all suche as beare armes shall bring their pieces swordes, poulder and shotte. And every one that shall transgresse this lawe shall forfaicte three shillinges a time to the use of the churche, all lawful and necessary impediments excepted."Item type:Item, 1631 Va. Acts 173, Act 51(1631)All men that are fitting to bear arms, shall bring their pieces to the church upon pain of every offence, of the mayster allow not thereof to pay 2 lb. of tobacco, to be disposed by the church-wardens, who shall levy it by distress, and the servants be punished.Item type:Item, 1639 Va. Acts 228(1639)Act 21: Not to shoot or hunt on other men's land that is seated and bounds marked under penalty of 40s. but may pursue deer and shoot on their own land.Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, Stat. at Large; Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 127 (1823) (enacted 1623)(1623)Ordering that no man go to work or be sent abroad without being sufficiently well-armed.Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, Stat. at Large; Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 173 (1823) (enacted 1632)(1632)Ordering that no man go or send abroad without being sufficiently well-armed.Item type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, Stat. at Large; Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 174–75 (1823) (enacted 1631)(1631)Act LVI: Required an annual muster of the men, women, and children of the plantations by the plantation commanders. Information collected: age, country and towns of birth, the ship they travelled upon. Also "of armes and munition, corne, cattle, hoggs, goates, barques, boates, gardens, and orchards."Item type:Item, Proceedings of the Virginia Assembly, 1619, reprinted in Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Narratives of Early Virginia, 1606-25, at 273 (1907) (enacted 1619)(1619)Required all persons attending church to bear arms, including swords, poulder, and shotte.Item type:Item, The Charter of New England (1620)(1620)Granted subjects all liberties, franchises, and immunities of free denizens. Also granted subjects the right to take, load, carry, transport armour, weapons, ordinances, muniiton, poweder, shott, victuals,and "all other things" necessary for the use and defense of the people.Item type:Item, Charters and General Laws of the Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay 132-133 (1814)(1633)Ch. 58, § 2 (1633): Prohibited the possession, trade, sale, and repair of guns, ammunition, armor, and weapons generally for "any Indian" enforced by fine.Item type:Item, 1 Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay 190 (1853)(1636)Ordered that no person shall travel to Plymouth without some arms.Item type:Item, 2 Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay 38 (Nathaniel B. Shurtleff ed., 1853)(1638)Military officers in every town shall appoint what arms are brought to public meetings. Also allowed officers to mandate safe disposure of ammunition to prevent acquisition by an enemy.Item type:Item, 1 Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay 85 (1853)(1631)"Further, it is ordered, that noe pson shall travell single betwixte theis plantacons & Plymouthe, nor without some armes, though 2 or 3 togeather."Item type:Item, 1 Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay 211-12 (1853)(1637)Whereas the opinions & revelations of Mr Wheeleright & Mrs Hutchinson have seduced & led into dangerous errors many of the people here New England , insomuch as there is just cause of suspicion that they, as others in Germany, in former times, may, upon some revelation, make some sudden irruption upon those that differ from them in judgment, for Prevention whereof it is ordered, that all those whose names are underwritten shall (upon warning given or left at their dwelling houses) before the 30th day of this month of November, deliver in at Mr Canes house, at Boston, all such guns, pistols, swords, powder, shot, & match as they shall be owners of, or have in their custody, upon pain of ten pound for ev§y default to bee made thereof; which arms are to be kept by Mr Cane till this Court shall take further order therein. Also, it is ordered, upon like penalty of [some unreadable amount of money, perhaps §, s., or p.), that no man who is to render his arms by this order shall buy or borrow any guns, swords, pistols, powder, shot, or match, until this Court shall take further order thereinItem type:Item, 1 Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay 190 (1853)(1636)"Whearas many complaints have bene made to this Court, both formerly & at psent, of the great neglect of all sorts of people of vseing the lawfull & necessary meanes of their safety, especially in this time of so much danger great fro the Indians, it is therefore ordered, that the millitary officers in every towne shall pride that the watches bee dewely kept in places most fit for danger by In- common safetie, & also a ward on the Lords dayes, the same to begin before the end of this first month, & to bee continued vntill the end of September ; & that every pson above the age of 18 yeares (except magistrats & elders of the churches) shalbee compellable to this servise, either in pson or by some substitute, to bee alowed by him that hath the charge of the watch or warde for that time, vpon paine of 5s for every default, to bee levyed by distresse by the surveyar of the armes, & to bee implyed for light & fyer, & such necessaries, by the discretion of the millitary officers./"Item type:Item, 2 John Leeds Bozman, History of Maryland 116 (1837) (enacted 1639)(1639)Gave the inhabitants of Maryland, who are Christians, all rights, liberties, immunities, privileges, and free customs as naturally born Englishmen.Item type:Item, 4 Jac. I, ch. 1 (1606)(1606)Repealed exemption for subjects living with 12 miles of the Scottish border for the keeping of crossbows, handguns, and demy hakes.