“No student is permitted to use camphene or any burning fluid, to keep in his room gunpowder, fire arms, or any dangerous weapon, or any intoxicating liquor, or allow noise or any disturbance in his apartment.”
Full Text: 1865, Brown University
The Laws of Brown University (Providence, RI: Knowles, Anthony & Co., 1865), 16-17. § 5—Of Discipline, no. 4.
“Military Parades by Unauthorized Bodies Prohibited.
Sec. 89. No body of men, other than the organized militia, the organized naval forces, the independent chartered military organizations, the military and naval forces of the United States, associations wholly composed of soldiers, sailors, or marines, honorably discharged from the service of the United States, veterans of the national guard or naval militia, the organizations of the order of the sons of veterans, and organizations now authorized to do so by the express permission of the commander-in-chief or otherwise by law, shall associate themselves together as a military company or organization, or parade in public with firearms in any city or town of this state.
No city or town shall raise or appropriate any money toward arming or equipping, uniforming, or in any other way supporting, sustaining, or providing drill rooms or armories for any such body of men. Students in educational institutions where military science is a prescribed part of the course of instruction may, with the consent of the commander-in-chief, drill and parade with firearms in public under the superintendence of their teachers. This section shall not be construed to prevent any organization, now authorized to do so by the express permission of the commander-in-chief or otherwise by law, from parading with firearms, nor to prevent parades by the national guard of any other state. The commander-in-chief may at any time revoke the permission granted by himself or any previous commander-in-chief to any organization or body of men to associate themselves together as a military company or meet as such for drill with arms, or parade in public as such with arms. Any person violating any provision of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be subject to a fine of not more than $100 for each offense.
Armed Forces of Other States Not to Enter.
Sec. 90. No armed military force from another state, territory, district, or country shall be permitted to enter the state for the purpose of doing military duty therein without the permission of the commander-in-chief, unless such force is part of the United States army or navy, or is acting under the authority of the United States.”
Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, at the January Session, 1909 (Providence, RI: E. L. Freeman Company, 1909), 113-114. Chapter 394—An Act in Relation to the Organization, Maintenance, Government, and Discipline of the Militia, § 89—Military Parades by Unauthorized Bodies Prohibited & § 90—Armed Forces of Other States Not to Enter. Passed April 27, 1909.
“It shall be the duty of any mayor, alderman, city marshal, city or town sergeant, constable or police officer, of any city or town, if he shall have information that any ale, wine, rum, or other strong or malt liquors, or any mixed liquors as aforesaid, are kept for sale or sold in any tent, shanty, hut or place of any kind for selling refreshments in any public place, on or near the ground of any cattle show, agricultural exhibition, military muster or public occasion of any kind, to search such suspected place, and if such officer shall find upon the premises any ale, wine, rum, or other strong or malt liquors, or any mixed liquors as aforesaid, he shall seize them and apprehend the keeper or keepers of such place, and take them with the liquors and the vessels containing them, so found and seized, forthwith or as soon as may be convenient, before some justice of the peace, or court exercising the jurisdiction of at justice of the peace, of the town where found, and thereupon such officer shall make a written complaint under oath, and subscribed by him, to such justice or court, that ale, wine, rum, or other strong or malt liquors, or mixed liquors, a part of which is ale, wine, rum, or other strong or malt liquors, was found in the possession of such keeper or keepers, in a tent, shanty, hut, or place for selling refreshments, and upon proof that said liquors are either ale, wine, rum, or other strong or malt liquors, or mixed liquors as aforesaid, that they were found in the possession of the accused, in a tent, shanty or other place as aforesaid, for sale, he or they shall be sentenced to imprisonment in the county jail of the same county for twenty days, and the liquor and vessels so seized shall be dealt with, by order of such justice or court, as provided in the ninth section of this act. But from the sentence and order of said justice or court as aforesaid, the defendant may appeal to the Court of Common Pleas next to be holden in the same county after ten days; in the same manner, and upon the same terms and conditions and with the like effect, as prescribed in section 6th of this act. And in case of such appeal, if the final decision shall be against the appellant, sentence as aforesaid shall be passed upon him by the appellate court, and the liquor and vessels seized as aforesaid shall be dealt with as aforesaid.”
Full Text: HeinOnline (subscription required)
Acts & Resolves of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Passed January, A. D., 1853, Being the Adjournment of the October Session; with the Roll of Members, and the Reports Ordered to Be Published (Providence, RI: Sayles, Miller & Simons, 1853), 238-239. An Act for the More Effectual Suppression of Drinking Houses and Tippling Shops, §10. Passed at the January Session, 1853.
“Section 1. Every able bodied white male citizen in this state, who is or shall be of the age of eighteen years, and not exceeding the age of forty-five years, excepting persons absolutely exempted by the provisions of this act, and idiots, lunatics, common drunkards, paupers, vagabonds, and persons convicted of any infamous crime, shall be enrolled in the militia, as herein after provided.”
“Section 45. No non-commissioned officer or private shall unnecessarily or without orders from his superior officer, come on to any place of parade with his musket, rifle or pistol loaded with balls, slugs, shot or other dangerous substance, or shall so load the same while on parade.”
1844, RI, An Act to Regulate the Militia, §1 & §45
Public Laws of the State of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, as Revised by a Committee, and Finally Enacted by the General Assembly at the Session in January, 1844. To Which Are Prefixed, the Charter of Charles II., Declaration of Independence, Resolution of General Assembly to Support the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution of the United States, Proceedings of the Convention on the Adoption of the Constitution of the United States by Rhode-Island, President Washington’s Address of September, 1796, and Constitution of the State of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations (Providence, RI: Knowles & Vose, 1844), 501-530. An Act to Regulate the Militia, §1 & §45.
Ordinances of the City of Providence, Fire-arms. An Ordinance in Relation to the Firing of Guns, Pistols and other Fire-arms. § 1. No person shall fire any gun, pistol, rifle or other fire-arm, in any street or lane, or on any public wharf, or on any public lands within said city, after sunrise and before sunset. § 2. Any person who shall violate any provision in the foregoing section contained, shall forfeit and pay the sum of not less than two dollars nor more than twenty dollars. § 3. No person shall open, keep, or maintain, or permit to be opened, kept, or maintained upon premises owned or occupied by him, within the distance of two hundred feet from any street, highway, gangway, or open way over which the inhabitants of this city pass or may freely pass, within the limits of the city, any pistol gallery, or room, or place for the purpose of testing or firing any pistol, rifle, musket, or other fire-arm, without using all such precautions against damage or accidents, as the city marshal may direct; and every person so transgressing shall forfeit and pay the sum of twenty dollars. § 4. Every person who shall open, keep, or maintain or permit to be opened, kept, or maintained, any place as aforesaid, after the city marshal shall have given directions as aforesaid, without using the prescribed precautions, shall for every three days during which he shall neglect to use such precautions, be deemed guilty of a violation of the third section of this ordinance and shall be fined accordingly.
An Act to Prevent the Firing of Guns within Certain Limits, § 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly and by the authority thereof it is enacted, That if any person shall fire or discharge any musket, rifle, fowling piece, blunderbuss or other small arms, not being at the time under military duty, within the following limits viz: the whole city of Providence, excepting the public waters and public rivers therein; also such parts of the town of Cranston and Johnston as are contained with the following limits to wit: beginning in Pawtuxet road at the Providence line, thence running Southerly on said Pawtuxet road, until it comes to a cross road heading to Cranston . . . , except upon land owned or occupied by him, or except on other days than the first day of the week, by permission of the owner or occupant of the land, on, and into which he may shoot, he shall pay as a fine the sum of five dollars for the first offence, and ten dollars for every subsequent offence; to be recovered by action of debt before any justice of the peace within the county in which said offence may be committed, by any person who may sue for the same with cost of suit. § 2. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this Act contained, shall affect the right of any person who may sustain damages by the offence aforesaid, to sue for and recover the same; and all prosecutions under this Act, shall be commenced within thirty days of the commission of the alleged offence, and not afterwards.
An Act Regulating the Storage, Safe Keeping and Transportation of Gunpowder in the Town of Providence, (1821) § 2. And be it further enacted, That is shall not be lawful for any person or persons to sell any gunpowder which may at the time be within the town of Providence in any quantity, by wholesale or retail, without first having obtained from the town council of said town a license to sell gunpowder; and every such license shall be written or printed, and signed by the president of said council or their clerk, on a paper upon which shall be written or printed a copy of this act; and every such license shall be in force for one year from the date thereof, unless annulled by said council, and no longer; but such license may, prior to the expiration of that time, be renewed, by endorsement thereon, for a further term of one year, and so from year to year: provided, always, that the said town council may annul any such license, if in their opinion the person or persons licensed have forfeited the right of using the same by any violation of the law relative thereto; and every person who shall receive a license as aforesaid shall pay therefor the sum of five dollars, and on having the same renewed shall pay therefor the sum of one dollar, which shall be paid to the clerk of said council, for their use, for the purpose of defraying the expense of carrying this act into execution. § 3. And be it further enacted, That any person or persons who shall keep, have, possess or transport any gunpowder within the town of Providence, contrary to the provisions of this act, or who shall sell any gunpowder therein, without having a license therefor, then in force, shall forfeit and pay a fine of not less than twenty dollars, and not exceeding five hundred dollars, for each and every offence; and if any gunpowder kept contrary to the provisions of this act shall explode in any shop, store, dwelling-house, ware-house or other building, or in any place in said town, the occupant, tenant or owner of which has not a license in force to keep and sell gunpowder therein, or which gunpowder shall have been kept in a manner contrary to the terms and conditions of such license, such occupant tenant or owner shall forfeit and pay a fine of not less than twenty dollars nor more than five hundred dollars. . . § 6. And be it further enacted, That the said firewards, or any of them, may enter the store or place of any person or persons licensed to sell gunpowder, to examine and ascertain whether the laws relating thereto are strictly observed; and also whenever there may be an alarm or fire; and in such last case may cause the powder there deposited to be removed to a place of safety, or to be destroyed by wetting or otherwise, as the exigency of the case may require; and it shall be lawful for any one or more of the firewards aforesaid to enter any dwelling house, store, building or other place in said town to search for gunpowder which they may have reason to suspect to be concealed or unlawfully kept therein; first having obtained from some justice of the peace of said town a search warrant therefor; which warrant any one of the justices of said town is hereby respectively authorized to issue, upon the complaint of such fireward or firewards, supported by his or their oath or affirmation. . . And be it further enacted, That all persons who wish have a license to keep and sell gunpowder within the town shall make application to the town council in writing, stating the place of business and whether they wish to sell by wholesale or retail, or both; and to each person or firm who may be approbated, a certificate of license shall be granted, on payment of the fee established by law. § 14. And be it further enacted, That every person or firm who may be licensed to sell gunpowder by retail, shall be allowed to keep in the place or building designated in the license, twenty-five pounds of gunpowder, and no more, at one time, which shall always be kept in tin or copper canisters, capable of containing no more than twelve and a half pounds each with a small aperture at the top, and a tin or copper cover thereto. § 15. And be it further enacted, That every person or firm who may be licensed to sell gunpowder by wholesale, shall provide and keep a tine or copper chest, with two handles and a tight cover, furnished with a hinge, and secured with a padlock, all of tin or copper chest, with two handles and a tight cover furnished with a hinge and secured padlock, all of tin or copper; such chest shall always be kept on the lower floor, on the right side of and close to the principal door or entrance from the street into the building so licensed, except when otherwise designated by the council and shall always be kept locked, except when powder is put in or taken out; and such person or firm, so licensed shall be allowed to deposit and keep, in such tin or copper chest, a quantity of gunpowder not exceeding four casks of twenty-five pounds each; the heads of each cask not to be opened, and each cask to be kept in a strong leather bag, closely tied and marked as aforesaid. § 16. And be it further enacted, that every person or firm licensed to keep and sell gunpowder as aforesaid, by wholesale or retail, shall have and keep a signboard placed over the door or building in which such powder is kept, on which shall be painted in Roman capitals the words “Licensed to sell Gunpowder”
§ 1. Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, and by the authority thereof it is hereby enacted, That no person or persons shall hereafter keep or deposit gunpowder, in a greater quantity than twenty-eight pounds, in any shop, building or other place, in the town of Providence, except such place or places as the Town Council of said town shall allow and designate for that purpose. § 2. And be it further enacted, That all and every person and persons whomsoever, who shall hereafter keep or depsoit gunpowder, in a greater quantity than twenty eight pounds, in any shop or shops, building or buildings, or in any other place or places in said town, except only such place or places as the Town-Council of said town shall allow and designate for that purpose, shall forfeit and pay the sume of twenty dollars, for each and every such offence, to be recovered by bill, plaint or information, before one or more of the Justices of the Peace for said town, and for the use of the poor of said town. 3. And be it further enacted, That the said quantity of twenty-eight pounds of gun-powder, shall be kept in tin canisters, and in no other vessels; and if any person or persons, whomsoever, shall keep the same in any vessl or thing, except said tin canisters, the person or persons guilty thereof, shall, for each and every such offence, forfeit and pay the sum of twenty dollars, to be recovered and appropriated as aforesaid.