Laws of the State of Maine; to Which are Prefixed the Constitution of the U. States and of Said State, in Two Volumes, with an Appendix Page 685-686; Image 272-273 (Vol. 2, 1821) available at The Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources.

An Act to Provide for the Proof of Firearms, § 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in Legislature assembled, That the Governor, by and with the consent of the Council, be, and he hereby is empowered to appoint suitable persons, to be provers of barrels of all new, or unused fire arms; and it shall be the duty of each person so appointed, to prove and try the strength of the barrels of all fire arms which shall be offered him for that purpose, and in such manner as to satisfy himself of the strength of the same; and shall in a permanent manner, mark and number every barrel by him so proved, and make and deliver to the person applying to have the same proved, a certificate for each barrel proved and found good in the form following: I certify that on this ___ day f ___ A.D. 18___ I proved for ____, a musket, pistol, or rifle barrel, (as the case may be) and which is numbered and marked as in the margin, and that the same is good and strong. A.B. Prover of fire arms. § 2. Be it further enacted, That each prover shall be entitled to receive from the person applying to have such barrel proved, twenty five cents, in addition to the expense of the powder necessary for that purpose for each barrel so proved; whether the same shall stand the proof and be marked or not. § 3. Be it further enacted, That if any person shall sell or offer for sale within this State, any new, or unused musket, rifle, or pistol barrel, without having the same first proved, marked, and certified according to the provisions of this Act, he shall forfeit for each barrel so sold the sum of ten dollars, to be recovered by an action of debt before any Court proper to try the same; to the use of any person who shall sue for and recover the same, or by indictment to the use of the state. § 4. Be it further enacted, That if any person shall falsely alter the stamp or mark on the certificate of any prover of fire arms, appointed as aforesaid, and be convicted thereof before any Court proper to try the same, he shall forfeit and pay a fine of not more than one hundred dollars, nor less than twenty dollars according to the nature and aggravation of the offence, for the use of the State.