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 263 (1809)(1643)"Masters of every family shall bring with them to church on Sundays one fixed and serviceable gun with sufficient powder and shott"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 292 (1809)(1645)"all negro men and women, and all other men from the age of 16 to 60" could be drafted to carry on war against the IndiansItem 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, 2 Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England 99 (Nathaniel B. Shurtleff ed., 1853)(1645)Mandated that "all youth within this jurisdiction, from ten yeares ould to the age of sixsteen yeares, shalbe instructed, by some one of the officers of the band, or some other experienced souldier…upon the usuall training dayes, in the exercise of armes, as small guns, halfe pikes, bowes & arrows."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, 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 292 (1809)(1645)"all negro men and women, and all other men from the age of 16 to 60" could be drafted to carry on war against the IndiansItem type:Item, 1 William Waller Hening, The Statutes at Large: Being a Collection of all the Laws of Virginia 263 (1809)(1643)"Masters of every family shall bring with them to church on Sundays one fixed and serviceable gun with sufficient powder and shott"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, 1642 Va. Acts 261(1642)Act 35: Be it further enacted and confirmed, for the better observation of the Sabbath and for the restraint of diverse abuses committed in the colony by unlawful shooting on the Sabbath day as aforesaid, unless it shall be for the safety of his or their plantations or corn fields or for defense against the Indians, he or they so offending shall forfeit for his or their first offense being thereof lawfully convicted . . . the quantity of twenty pounds...Item type:Item, 1642 Va. Acts 263(1642)Act 41: It is enacted and confirmed that masters of every family shall bring with them to church on Sundays one fixed and serviceable gun with sufficient powder and shot upon penalty of ten pound of tobacco for every master of a family so offending to be disposed of by the churchwardens who shall levy it by distress, and servants being commanded and yet omitting shall receive twenty lashes on his or their bare shoulders, by order form the county courts where he or they shall live.Item type:Item, 1642 Va. Acts 255(1642)Act 23: Be it also enacted and confirmed, that what person or persons soever shall sell or barter with any Indian or Indians for piece, powder and shot and being thereof lawfully convicted, shall forfeit his whole estateItem type:Item, 1642 Va. Acts 248(1642)Act 11: Whereas the rights and interests of the inhabitants are very much infringed by hunting and shooting of diverse men upon their neighbors lands and dividends contrary to the privileges granted to them by their patents, whereby many injuries do daily happen to the great damage of the owners of the land whereon such hunting or shooting is used, It is therefore enacted and confirmed that if any planter or person shall hunt or shoot upon or within the precincts or limits of his neighbor or other divident without leave first obtained for his so doing, and having been warned by the owner of the land to forbear hunting and shooting as aforesaid, he or they so offending shall forfeit for every such offence four hundred pounds of tobacco . . .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, 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, 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, 1 Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England 79–80 (John Russell Bartlett ed., 1856)(1643)reiterated an earlier order "for every man to have so much powder, and so many bullets, and so the forwarning is to stand still in force; and also that every man do come armed unto the meeting upon every sixth day"Item type:Item, Acts and Orders of 1647, in Colonial Origins of the American Constitution: A Documentary History 183–84 (Donald S. Lutz ed., 1998)(1647)Every inhabitant above sixteen or under sixty years of age shall be provided a musket, one pound of powder, twenty bullets, two fathoms match, sword rest, and bandaleers.Item type:Item, Acts and Orders of 1647, in Colonial Origins of the American Constitution: A Documentary History 39 (Donald S. Lutz ed., 1998)(1647)Prohibited the giving, selling, repairing guns, ammunition, or weapons to or for "the Indians."Item type:Item, E.B. O'Callaghan, Laws and Ordinances of New Netherland, 1638-1674, at 47 (1868); N.Y. Col. MSS, IV. 216(1645)Prohibited the selling and bartering of firearms and ammunition with "the Indians."