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 - 28 of 28

1933 Wyo. Sess. Laws 117
(1933)
All wholesalers, retailers, dealers and pawn brokers are hereby required to keep a record of all firearms which may come into their possession, whether new or second hand, which record shall be known as the Firearms Register. Such register shall contain the following information, to wit: the name of the manufacturer, person, persons, firm or corporation from whom the firearm was obtained, the date of its acquisition, its manufacturer's number, its color, its caliber, whether the same is new or second hand, whether it is automatic, a revolver, a single shot pistol, a rifle, a shot gun or a machine gun, the name of the party to whom said firearm is sold in such purchasers handwriting and the date of such sale
1915 Wyo. Sess. Laws ch. 91 sec. 13
(1915)
This law requires most non-citizens (aliens) in Wyoming to obtain a $25 annual gun and fish license before possessing firearms or fishing equipment, with exemptions for certain residents, taxpayers, settlers, employees, and holders of a $50 hunting license. Violations are punishable by fines of $25–$100, with imprisonment at the rate of one day per unpaid dollar until fines and costs are paid, and unauthorized firearms or fishing equipment may be seized and confiscated by law enforcement.
Charter and General Ordinances of Madison 292–93 (1917)
(1917)
Every person, firm, association or corporation engaged in the business of selling firearms at retail in the city of Madison, shall at the close of business on each day during which any such person, firm, association or corporation shall sell any firearms, make a report to the chief of police, giving a brief description of each firearm sold and the name and address of the purchaser. It shall be unlawful for any person, except policemen or any officer authorized to serve process, to carry or wear concealed about his person, any pistol or revolver, slung shot, cross-knuckles, knuckles of lead, brass or other metal, or bowie knife, dirk knife, or dirk or dagger, or any other dangerous or deadly weapon, within the limits of the city of Madison. No person shall fire or discharge any cannon, or fire arm of any description, or any air gun, or fire, explode, or set off any squib, cracker or other thing containing powder. No person shall sell or place on sale, or give away or fire or explode any toy, cap or cartridge pistol or any fire cracker exceeding § inch in diameter and 2 inches in length; nor any so-called "dago bomb" or any similar bomb unless used for exhibition purposes and then only by an experienced agent."
1925 W. Va. Acts 30-31
(1925)
Ch. 3, § 7(b): Prohibited publicly displaying for rent or sale any revolver, pistol, dirk, Bowie knife, slungshot, other dangerous weapon, machine gun, submachine gun, or high powered rifle. Requires dealers to keep a register. Prohibited selling, renting, giving, or lending any of these weapons to an unnaturalized person.
1911 Wash. Sess. Laws 303
(1911)
An Act Relating to the Carrying of Firearms, Requiring Licenses of Certain Persons, and Fixing a Penalty for the Violation Thereof, ch. 52, § 1: Required noncitizens to receive a license from the state auditor, upon a certificate from the consul of the individuals' country of origin and payment of a fee, before noncitizen can possess a firearm.
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."
Laws of His Majesty Kamehameha V. King of the Hawaiian Islands 26 (1870)
(1870)
An Act to License the Carrying of Fowling Pieces and Other Fire-arms, chap. 20, §§ 1 to 3: Required a license from the Minister of the Interior to use or carry for sporting purposes any gun, carbine, rifle, pistol, or other fire-arms. Licenses were priced at five dollars. Violators fined fifty dollars for every offense. Failure to pay the fine led to imprisonment at hard labour.
1903 Pa. Laws 178, No. 136, §§ 1-2
(1903)
Imposed licensing requirement for non-residents and unnaturalized foreign-born resident to possess a gun in the fields, forests, or waters of the State. Punishable by fine.
1913 Or. Laws 497, ch. 256, §§ 1-2
(1913)
§It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to display for sale at retail any pocket pistol or revolver or to sell at retail, barter, give away or dispose of the same to any person whomsoever, excepting a policeman, member of the militia or peace officer of the State of Oregon, unless the purchaser or person attempting to procure the same shall have a permit for the purpose of procuring such pocket pistol or revolver signed by the municipal judge or city recorder of the city or county judge or a justice of the peace of the county wherein such person resides. Also provided that all dealers keep a record of their sales
1917 Or. Gen. and Special Laws 804, ch. 377, § 1-11
(1917)
No person shall carry in any city, town, or municipal corporation of this State any pistol, revolver or other firearm concealed upon his or her person, or of a size which may be concealed upon his or her person, without a license or permit therefor, issued to him or her by a chief of police or sheriff of such city, town or municipal corporation, or in such manner as may be prescribed by ordinance of such city, town or municipal corporation. This section, however, shall not apply to sheriffs and their deputies, constables, marshals, police officers or any other duly appointed peace officers, nor to any person or persons summoned by such officers to assist in making arrest or preserving the peace while said person or persons are engaged in assisting such officers; nor to duly authorized military organizations when parading, nor to members thereof when going to and from places of meeting of their respective organizations.
1919 N.C. Sess. Laws 397, 397-399
(1919)
Pub. Laws, ch. 197, §§ 1-8: That it shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation in this State to sell, give away or dispose of, or to purchase or receive, at any place within the State from any other place within or without the State, without a license or permit therefor shall have first been obtained by such purchaser or receiver from the clerk of the Superior Court of the county in which such purchase, sale, or transfer is intended to be made, any pistol, so-called pump-gun, bowie knife, dirk, dagger or metallic knucks.
1917 N.H. Laws 727-30
(1917)
An Act for the Regulation of the Sale and Use of Explosives and Firearms, ch. 185, § 2: No such licensed person shall sell or deliver firearms to any person not a citizen of the United States, unless he shall have legally declared his intention of becoming a citizen, or any such explosive material or compound to any person, except upon presentation of a permit such as is hereinafter provided for, nor unless satisfied that the same is to be used for a lawful purpose.
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.
1913 Mont. Laws 53
(1913)
An Act to Provide that Aliens Shall Pay a Gun License, and Providing a Penalty for Failure to Obtain License; to Provide for and Regulate the Duties of the Game and Fish Warden and His Deputies, and to Provide for the Disposition of the Fines so Collected, ch. 38, § 1: Required noncitizens to obtain a license (costing $25) from the Game and Fish Warden before possessing a firearm; license valid for one year; provision does not apply to: (1) individuals who have purchased hunting license; (2) state residents owning at least 160 acres of land; (3) settlers on public land beginning to acquire land under federal law; or (4) persons engaged in tending or herding sheep or other animals.
The Charter and Code of the Ordinances of Yazoo City 172-75 (1908)
(1906)
Section 291 penalized the use of live pigeons for target shooting. Sections 293-300 regulate concealed weapons and their sale or use. Carrying a concealed deadly weapon is a misdemeanor punishable by a $25–$100 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both, and the weapon is forfeited and destroyed. Exceptions include self-defense, travelers, peace officers, mail carriers, and certain workers. Dealers must record weapon and ammunition sales. Selling or lending weapons to minors or intoxicated people is prohibited. Additional penalties apply to parents allowing young sons to carry weapons, weapons in public schools, and displaying or using deadly weapons in a threatening manner.
1900 Miss. Laws 51-52
(1900)
Ch. 49: The auditor of the public accounts shall, by the first day of February in each year, furnish the clerk of the board of supervisors of each county with three copies of blank assessment rolls, and counties having two judicial districts shall be furnished with four copies; said roll shall be made of good paper, neatly and substantially bound and properly ruled and headed for the assessment of personal property and polls, in which to enter the following items: . . . sixteenth column, number of guns over one; seventeenth column, number of pistols, bowie knives, dirks or sword canes[.]
1927 Mich. Pub. Acts 891, No.372, § 9
(1927)
An Act to Regulate and License the Selling, Purchasing, Possessing and Carrying of Certain Firearms, § 9: Required registration for the owners of pistols
1913 Mich. Pub. Acts 472
(1913)
An Act Providing for the Registration of the Purchasers of Guns, Pistols, Other Fire-arms and Silencers for Fire-arms and Providing a Penalty for Violation, § 1-2: Every person, firm or corporation engaged in any way or to any extent in the business of selling at retail guns, pistols, other fire-arms and silencers for fire-arms shall keep a register in which shall be entered the name, age, occupation and residence (if residing in the city with the street number of such residence) of each and every purchaser of such guns, pistols, other fire-arms or silencers for fire-arms together with the number or other mark of identification, if any, on such gun, pistol, other fire-arms or silencer for firearms which said register shall be open to the inspection of all peace officers at all times.
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.
1927 N.J. Laws 742
(1927)
Ch. 321, 1: Prohibited a pawnbroker from selling or possessing for sale, loan, or to give away a machine gun, automatic rifle, revolver, pistol, or other firearm, or other instrument of any kind known as a blackjack, slungshot, billy, sandclub, sandbag, bludgeon, metal knuckles, dagger, dirk, dangerous knife, stiletto, bomb or other high explosive. Punishable as a high misdemeanor.
1912 N.J. Laws 366
(1912)
Ch. 225, 4: Every person selling a pistol, revolver or other firearm of a size which may be concealed upon the person whether such seller is a retail dealer, pawnbroker or otherwise, shall keep a register in which shall be entered at the time of sale the date of sale, name, age, occupation and residence of every purchaser of such a pistol, revolver or other firearm, together with the calibre, make, model, manufacturer's number or other mark of identification on such pistol, revolver or other firearm
1885 Ill. Rev. Stat. 771
(1885)
Criminal Code Ch. 38, para. 90: Required all dealers to keep a registration of all deadly weapons sold or given away, including any slung-shot, metallic knuckles, pistol, revolver, derringer, Bowie knife, dirk, or other deadly weapon.
1881 Ill. Laws 71
(1881)
Prohibited selling, giving, loaning, hiring for barter any minor a pistol, revolver, derringer, Bowie knife, dirk or other deadly weapon. Punishable by fine of $25-200.
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.
The Revised Laws of Hawaii 790-94 (1925)
(1925)
Chapter 128 imposed a comprehensive firearm and ammunition registration and permitting system in the Territory of Hawaii. Residents, businesses, and other possessors were required to report firearms and ammunition to the county sheriff, including the type, manufacturer, and factory number when available. Sheriffs maintained records and periodically forwarded copies to the governor. Firearms and ammunition dealers faced additional reporting requirements concerning their inventory, imports, and every sale or transfer. Retail purchasers generally had to obtain a written permit from the sheriff before acquiring a firearm or pistol/revolver ammunition. Dealers had to record the transaction, obtain the purchaser’s signature, report it to the sheriff, and could not deliver the item on the same day as the transaction. Violations were misdemeanors punishable by fines up to $500, imprisonment up to one year, or both; informants could receive half of an imposed fine. Aliens faced additional restrictions: obtaining a permit required written recommendations from two responsible citizens, and generally required an annual $5 license, although business-related firearm use could qualify for a fee exemption. Aliens possessing firearms or ammunition without complying with these requirements faced misdemeanor penalties. Registration records were generally confidential, accessible only at the governor’s request or by court order. Violations of the chapter could result in fines up to $500, while sheriffs improperly disclosing records faced fines up to $25. Federal, territorial, militia, county, and municipal authorities carrying arms in their official capacities were exempt from the reporting requirements.
1927 Haw. Terr. Sess. Laws 209-17
(1927)
AN ACT Regulating the Sale, Transfer and Possession of Certain Firearms and Ammunitions, and Amending Sections 2136, 2137, 2138, 2139, 2140, 2141, 2142, 2143, 2146 and 2147 of the Revised Laws of Hawaii 1925 (the "Small Arms Act"), § 20: Required the sheriff to keep books containing all information furnished to him relative to ownership, acquisition, importation, delivery, and possession of firearms and ammunition. Copies of the book will be made for the Governor twice per year.
25 Del. Laws 577 (1909)
(1909)
House Joint Resolution Providing for Increase in Non-Resident Gunners License Fee, ch. 271: Imposed licensing requirement for non-residents who " make it a practice to gun " in the state.
1911 Colo. Sess. Laws 408-09
(1911)
Required the record registration of every retail sale, rental, exchange of firearms, pistols, or revolvers. Violators guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than twenty-five, nor more than one hundred dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both.

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