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Duke Center for Firearms Law
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Repository of Historical Gun Laws

Jurisdiction: Massachusetts

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  • Year Law was Published

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1878, Laws of Williams College, ch. 3, § 3.

, | , | 1878

"No student shall have or keep any gunpowder or fire-arms in his room, or in any building or other place on College grounds; nor shall he at any time use gunpowder or fire-arms within half a mile of the College grounds."

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1855, The Laws and Regulations of Amherst College, ch. 9, § 7.

, , , | , | 1855

"CHAPTER IX.
DAMAGES AND REPAIRS.

VII. In no case shall a student bring into the College premises, any cannon, musket, pistol, or other species of fire-arms, or any gunpowder in any mode of preparation; and in...

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1825, Statutes and Laws of the University in Cambridge, ch. 7, § 76, no. 3.

, , , | , | 1825

"CHAP. VII.
HIGH OFFENCES AND MISDEMEANORS.


76. High offences may be punished at the discretion of the Faculty with any of the College punishments...
The following are deemed high offences:

...

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1824, Laws of Harvard College, ch. 6, § 1, no. 2.

, , , | , | 1824

"CHAPTER VI.
MISDEMEANORS AND CRIMINAL OFFENCES.


    1. For either of the following offences, Students may be punished by any of the college censures, at the discretion of the Immediate Government, v...

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1893 Mass. Acts, Ch. 367—An Act Concerning the Volunteer Militia, § 124: A law that unofficial armed associations are prohibited (1893).

| | 1893

        "Sec. 124. No body of men whatsoever, other than the regularly organized corps of the militia, the troops of the United States, the ancient and honorable artillery company, the veteran artillery association of Newburyport, the veteran cadet...

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Certain Military Organizations Fobidden Without the License of the Governor, Acts of Massachusetts, Ch. 219 An Act Concerning the Militia §184 (1866).

| | 1866

"Section 184. It shall not be lawful for any body of men whatsoever, other than the regularly organized corps of the volunteer militia, the troops of the United States, and the ancient and honorable artillery company, and the veteran artillery associat...

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Discharging Guns Prohibited, An Ordinance in Relation to Streets, Ordinances of the City of Charlestown, Ordinance No. 10, §32 (1870).

| | 1870

"Sect. 32. No person shall, except in the performance of some duty required by law, discharge any gun, pistol, or other firearm, loaded with balls or shot, or with powder only, within the city."

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City Ordinances of Springfield, MA, No. 44. An Ordinance for the Prevention of Injurious Practices in the Streets, §21 Firearms, not to be discharged in streets, &c., except, &c. (1871).

| | 1871

"Sect. 21. No person shall discharge any gun, pistol or other firearm in any of the streets, highways, public squares or commons in the city ; provided, this section shall not apply to the use of such weapons in the lawful defense of the person, family...

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Order p[ro]hibbiting retayling strong drinckes at traynings, Boston, May 28th, 1679

| | 1679

"... it is ordered by this Court and the authority thereof, that henceforth no person whatsoeuer shall presume to bring into the feild and sell by retayle vpon such occasions [i.e., militia training days] any wine, strong liquor, cider, or any other in...

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A Copy of the Laws of Harvard College, 1655, at 10

| , | 1655

Thirdly concerneing penall lawes. . . .

8. No undergraduate shall buy, sell, barter, or exchange books, apparrell or any thing of considerable value ; but by the leave of the President or his Tutor, Guardian or Parent, or If he shall sell or pa...

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Appendix A, Rules and Regulations Governing the Public Parks within the City of Haverhill (1905)

, | | 1905

It is forbidden . . . 9. To throw stones, balls or other missiles; to discharge or carry firearms, torpedoes, firecrackers or fireworks; to sell, offer or expose for sale any goods or wares; to post or display in any manner within any park or upon the ...

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Rules and Regulations Governing the Public Parks within the City of Lowell,, at 58 (1903)

, | | 1903

The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Lowell, by virtue of its authority to make rules and regulations for the use and government of the Public Parks and Commons of said City, and to fix penalties for breaches of rules and regulations, hereby ...

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Office of Park Commission, New Bedford, Mass., Park Ordinances (1902)

, | | 1902

September 1, 1902. The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of New Bedford, by virtue of its authority to make rules for the use and government of the public parks of said city, and for breaches of such rules to affix penalties, hereby ordain that w...

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Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Springfield, Mass., Park Ordinances (1891)

, | | 1891

The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Springfield, by virtue of its authority to make Rules for the use and government of the Public Parks of said city, and for breaches of such rules to affix penalties, hereby ordains that within the Public P...

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Third Annual Report of the Park Commissioners of the City of Lynn for the year ending December 20, 1891, at 23, Ordinances

, | | 1891

The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Lynn , by virtue of its authority to make rules for the use and government of the Public Parks of said City, and for breaches of such rules to affix penalties, hereby ordains that within the limits of Lynn...

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The Great Woods of Lynn and Other Public Parks of the Town in 1903, Being the 15th Annual Report of the Park Commissioners of Lynn, Massachusetts 81 (1903)

, | | 1903

[I]t is forbidden … to discharge or carry firearms, except by members of the police force in the discharge of their duties.

(Rule 3)

Full Text: Hathi...

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1906 Mass. Acts 150, ch. 172, An Act to Regulate by License the Carrying of Concealed Weapons

| | 1906

Section 2. Whoever, except as provided by the laws of this Commonwealth, carries on his person a loaded pistol or revolver, without authority or permission as provided in section one of this act, or whoever carries any stiletto, dagger, dirk-knife, slu...

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1927 Mass. Acts 413, An Act Relative to Machine Guns and Other Firearms, ch. 326, §§ 1-2 (amending §§ 121, 123)

| | 1927

In sections one hundred and twenty-two to one hundred and twenty-nine, inclusive, “firearms” includes a pistol, revolver or other weapon of any description, loaded or unloaded, from which a shot or bullet can be discharged and of which the ...

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1927 Mass. Acts 416, An Act Relative to Machine Guns and Other Firearms, ch. 326, § 5 (amending §10)

| | 1927

. . . Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person, or carries on his person or under his control in a vehicle, a pistol or revolver, loaded or unloaded, or possesses a machine gun as defined in section one hundred and twenty-one of chapte...

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1926 Mass. Acts 256, An Act Prohibiting the Sale and Use of Silencers for Firearms, ch. 261

| | 1926

Whoever sells or keeps for sale, or offers, or gives or disposes of, or uses, any instrument, attachment, weapon or appliance for causing the firing of any gun, revolver, pistol or other firearm to be silent or intended to lessen or muffle the noise of...

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1922 Mass. Acts 563, ch. 485, An Act Relative to the Sale and Carrying of Firearms, ch. 485, § 8 (amending § 130)

, , | | 1922

§ 8 (amending § 130). Whoever sells or furnishes to a minor under the age of fifteen, or to an unnaturalized foreign born person who has who has not a permit to carry firearms under section one hundred and thirty-one, any firearm, air gun or ...

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1919 Mass. Acts 139, An Act Relative to the Issuance of Search Warrants for the Seizure of Firearms, Weapons and Ammunition Kept for Unlawful Purposes, ch. 179, §§ 1-2

| | 1919

§ 1. A court or justice authorized to issue warrants in criminal cases may, upon complaint under oath that the complainant believes that an unreasonable number of rifles, shot guns, pistols, revolvers or other dangerous weapons, or that an unneces...

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1910 Mass. Acts 552, An Act to Prohibit the Sale of Certain Pistols and Explosives and to Authorize the Making of Regulations Relative to Fireworks and Firecrackers, ch. 565, § 1.

| | 1910

It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or keep for sale any blank cartridge, toy pistol, toy gun or toy cannon that can be used to fire a blank cartridge; or to sell or keep for sale, or to fire, explode or cause to explode any blank cartridge or ...

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1909 Mass. Acts 148, An Act to Prohibit the Sale of Air Guns to Certain Minors

| | 1909

Section ninety-two of chapter one hundred and two of the Revised Laws is hereby amended by inserting after the word “firearms”, in the second line, the words -- air guns, -- so as to read as follows: Section 92. Whoever sells or furnishes t...

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1904 Mass. Acts 310-11, An Act to Authorize the Fire Marshal’s Department of the District Police to Make Regulations Relative to Explosives and Inflammable Fluids, ch. 370, §§ 1-2

| | 1904

§ 1. The powers conferred on city councils of cities and selectmen of towns by chapter one hundred and two of the Revised Laws, to regulate the keeping, storage, use, manufacture or sale of gunpowder, dynamite or other explosives and inflammable f...

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