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.

Questions

For questions about coverage, rights, or submissions, contact the Firearms Research Center (firearmsresearchcenter.org).

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Now showing 1 - 18 of 18

The Charter and the Acts and Laws of His Majesties Colony of Rhode Island, and Providence-Plantations in America, 1719, at 86 (Sidney S. Rider, ed. 1895)
(1718)
Provided that "all male Persons ... from the Age of Sixteen, to the Age of Sixty Years, shall bear Arms." Arms were "one good Musket, or Fuzee, the Barrel whereof not to be less than three foot and an half in length," plus a sword or bayonet, a pound of gunpowder, thirty bullets, six flints, and a cartridge box.
1792 N.Y. Laws 227
(1786)
Defined the New York militia as "every able- bodied male person, being a citizen of this state, or of any of the United States, and residing in this state (except such persons as are herein after excepted) and who are of the age of sixteen, and under the age of forty-five years." The arms were "a good musket or firelock," 24 bullets, "a sufficient bayonet" and other standard items."
1792 N.Y. Laws 227
(1786)
Defined the New York militia as "every able- bodied male person, being a citizen of this state, or of any of the United States, and residing in this state (except such persons as are herein after excepted) and who are of the age of sixteen, and under the age of forty-five years." The arms were "a good musket or firelock," 24 bullets, "a sufficient bayonet" and other standard items."
9 The Statutes at Large of South Carolina: Containing the Acts Relating to Roads, Bridges and Ferries, With an Appendix, Containing the Militia Acts Prior to 1794, at 691 (David J. McCord ed., 1841)
(1791)
The necessary arms were revised in 1791. Firearms were "a good musket and bayonet . . . or other sufficient gun." Edged arms were "a good and sufficient small sword, broad sword, cutlass or hatchet." Along with the usual cartouch box, powder horn or flask, shot bag or pouch, spare flint, and ammunition.
1935 Wash. Sess. Laws 599
(1935)
Ch. 172, §§ 1-4: 'Short Firearm' as used in this act means any firearm with a barrel less than twelve (12) inches in length.If any person shall commit or attempt to commit a crime of violence when armed with a pistol, he may in addition to the punishment provided for the crime, be punished also as provided by this act. No person who has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of a crime of violence, shall own a pistol or have one in his possession or under his control.
1880 Dakota Terr. Rev. Codes 771
(1877)
Penal Code, ch. 23, §§ 295-295: A duel is any combat, with deadly weapons, fought between two persons by previous agreement or upon a previous quarrel. § 295. Punishment for Fighting. Every person guilty of fighting any duel, although no death or wound ensues, is punishable by imprisonment in the territorial prison not exceeding ten years.
1927 R.I. Pub. Laws 256, ch. 1052, §§ 1, 3
(1927)
Prohibited a person who has previously been convicted of a violent crime from owning, carrying, or possessing any firearm (including machine gun or pistol).
ALBANY, CHARTER AND GENERAL ORDINANCES, no. 152, § 39 (C. W. Watts 1887).
(1887)
§Each of the following shall be conclusively deemed and taken to be a deadly or dangerous weapon within the meaning of the provisions of sections 3 and 7 of this ordinance, to-wit: Any pistol, whether loaded or not, any dirk, dagger, bowie-knife, slung-shot, brass or iron knuckles; and any and all other weapons which the evidence may show to be dangerous to life or limb shall be considered and deemed to be deadly or dangerous weapons within the meaning of said section."
1877 Dakota Terr. Rev. Codes 771
(1877)
Penal Code, ch. 23, § 294: Duel Defined. A duel is any combat, with deadly weapons, fought between two persons by previous agreement or upon a previous quarrel. § 295. Punishment for Fighting. Every person guilty of fighting any duel, although no death or wound ensues, is punishable by imprisonment in the territorial prison not exceeding ten years.
1923 N.H. Laws 138-141
(1923)
Provided that sections 1-13 of the act should not apply to antique pistols or revolvers used as such
1918 Mont. Laws 6-7, 9
(1918)
ch. 2, §§ 1, 3, 8: Within thirty days from the passage and approval of this Act, every person within the State of Montana, who owns or has in his possession any fire arms or weapons shall make a full, true, and complete verified report upon the form hereinafter provided to the sheriff of the County in which such person lives, of all fire arms and weapons which are owned or possessed by him or her or are in his or her control, and on sale or transfer into the possession of any other person such person shall immediately forward to the sheriff of the County in which such person lives the name and address of that purchaser and person into whose possession or control such fire arm or weapon was delivered. § 3. Any person signing a fictitious name or address or giving any false information in such report shall be guilty of misdemeanor, and any person failing to file such report as in this Act provided, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. § 8. For the purpose of this Act a fire arm or weapon shall be deemed to be any revolver, pistol, shot gun, rifle, dirk, dagger, or sword.
1927 Mass. Acts 413-16
(1927)
An Act Relative to Machine Guns and Other Firearms, ch. 326, §§ 1-2 (amending §§ 121, 123): Prohibited selling, renting, or leasing a pistol, revolver, or machine gun to a person without a license to possess the same.
1887 N.M. Laws 55-58
(1887)
Ch. 30, § 1: That any person who shall hereafter carry a deadly weapon, either concealed or otherwise, on or about the settlements of this territory, except it be in his or her residence, or on his or her landed estate, and in the lawful defense of his or her person, family or property, the same being then and there threatened with danger, or except such carrying be done by legal authority, upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars, nor more than three hundred, or by imprisonment not less than sixty days, nor more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court or jury trying the same.
1869 N.M. Laws 72
(1869)
Ch. 32, §§ 1-2: Prohibited the carry of deadly weapons. Deadly weapons shall be defined as all classes of pistols, revolver, repeater, derringer, or any other kind of pistol, Bowie-knives, daggers, poniards, butcher knives, dirks, "all weapons in which cuts can be give or by which wounds can be inflicted by thrusting," sword-canes, slung-shots, and any other kinds of deadly weapons.
Compiled Ordinances: Town of Albuquerque 81-82 (William C. Heacock ed., 1887)
(1887)
Chapter 21-Deadly Weapon, § 2: Deadly weapons, within the meaning of this preceding section, shall be construed to mean any and all kinds and classes of guns, pistols and revolvers, slung-shots, loaded or sword canes or sand-bags, and all kinds and classes of weapons and instruments, by whatever name they may be called, by which a dangerous wound can be inflicted.
1 Dictionary of the English Language 106 (4th ed.) (reprinted 1978)
(1773)
Used by the Court to define arms as weapons of offence, or armour of defence.
1925 Ind. Acts 495-501
(1925)
Prohibited the sale, delivery, or otherwise transfer of a pistol or revolver to a person who he or she has reasonable cause believe is either not a citizen or is a felon. Violatos fined not less than one hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
1933 Haw. Terr. Sess. Laws 35-40 (Spec. Sess.)
(1933)
The 1934 Hawaii Firearms Act comprehensively regulated firearms and ammunition by requiring registration of most firearms and non-shotgun ammunition, permits to acquire firearms or ammunition, and registration of newly acquired weapons. It generally limited firearm possession to a person's home, business, or place of sojourn, with exceptions for lawful hunting and transportation. The Act prohibited possession of pistols and revolvers by persons convicted of violent crimes and banned machine guns, automatic rifles, bombs, silencers, and similar weapons. Concealed carry licenses were available only in exceptional cases upon a showing of good cause and suitability. The law criminalized altering firearm identification marks, created evidentiary presumptions in certain criminal prosecutions, exempted specified law enforcement and military personnel, authorized forfeiture of unlawfully possessed firearms, permitted revocation of permits and licenses, and imposed fines and imprisonment for violations.

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