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Ch. 26—Concealed Weapons, §§ 1-8, in, Revised Ordinances of the Village of Hinsdale, Illinois (1912).

“Unlawful to Carry.] Sec. 1. It shall be unlawful for any person within the limits of the village of Hinsdale to carry or wear under his clothes or concealed about his person any pistol, colt or slung shot, cross knuckles, or knuckles of lead, brass or other metal, or bowie knife, dirk, dagger, or other dangerous or deadly weapon.

Confiscation of Weapons.] Sec. 2. Any such weapon or weapons duly adjudged by any police magistrate or justice of the peace to have been worn or carried by any person, in violation of the preceding section, shall be forfeited or confiscated to the village of Hinsdale, and shall be so adjudged, as a part of the judgment for each violation, by the magistrate before whom the trial of any person for a violation of this chapter shall be had.

Arrest for Carrying.] Sec. 3. Any policeman of the village of Hinsdale may, within the limits of said village, without a warrant, arrest any person or persons whom he may find in the act of carrying or wearing concealed about his or their persons any weapon specified in section one of this chapter, until a summons or warrant can be procured on complaint [sic] made, under oath or affirmation, for the trial of such person or persons.

Penalty.] Sec. 4. Any person or persons convicted of violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine of not less than five dollars nor more than two hundred dollars.

To Whom Not Applicable.] Sec. 5. The prohibitions of this chapter shall not apply to the officers or members of the police force of said village when on duty, nor to any officer of any court whose duty it may be to serve warrants or to make arrests; nor to persons whose business or occupation may seem to require the carrying of weapons for their protection, and who shall have obtained from the president a license so to do, as hereinafter provided.

President to Grant License.] Sec. 6. The president may grant to so many and such persons as he may think proper licenses to carry concealed weapons, and may revoke any and all of such licenses at his pleasure.

Fee for License.] Sec. 7. Applications for such licenses shall be made to the village clerk, and when granted the applicant therefor shall pay to the village collector, for the use of the village, the sum of two dollars.

What License Shall State.] Sec. 8. Every such license shall state the name, age, occupation and residence of the person to whom it is granted.”

1912, Hinsdale, IL, Ch. 26—Concealed Weapons, §§ 1-8


Lawrence P. Conover, ed., Revised Ordinances of the Village of Hinsdale, Illinois 1912: Printed and Published by Authority of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Hinsdale, Pursuant to Ordinance, Passed and Approved, February 5, 1912, Issued in Book Form, February 15, 1912 (Hinsdale, IL: Merrill Printing Company, 1912), 168-169. Chapter 26—Concealed Weapons, §§ 1-8. Undated.




Penal Ordinance No. 35: Concealed Weapon[s], §§ 1-4, in Revised Charter Ordinances and Franchises* of the City of Lockport (1909).

“Sec.1. Concealed weapon. No person over the age of 16 years shall have or carry concealed upon his person, in said city, any pistol, revolver, or other firearm without a written license therefor, theretofore issued to him by the chief of police of such city as hereinafter provided.
Sec. 2. Permit. The chief of police may, upon application therefor, issue to any person, who is over sixteen years of age and a citizen of the United States, a permit in writing to carry a pistol or revolver in said city. For such permits so issued said chief of police shall charge and receive a fee of one dollar and fifty cents in advance. Said permit shall not continue in force for more than one year, and may, in the discretion of the chief of police, be revoked or renewed from time to time upon the payment in advance of one dollar and fifty cents for each year, or fraction thereof. The chief of police shall keep a record of the name, age, residence and occupation of every person to whom he shall issue such permit, and date of issue, or renewal, and the fee received for the same; and all the fees so received by him shall be deposited monthly in the city treasury to the credit and for the use of the police pension fund of said city. Any permit issued hereunder shall be produced and exhibited by any person holding the same, upon the request of a member of the police department of said city.
Sec. 3. Penalty. Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed fifty dollars, or imprisonment not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. And all fines imposed and collected for a violation of this section shall be deposited to the credit of said pension fund by the person so collecting the same.
Sec. 4. This ordinance shall take effect immediately.”

1913, Lockport, NY, Penal Ordinance No. 35


Revised Charter Ordinances and Franchises* of the City of Lockport Printed by Authority of the Common Council of the City (Lockport, NY: Press of Roberts Bros. Co. 1913), 336-337. Penal Ordinances, Ordinance No. 35—Concealed Weapon,  §§ 1-4. Approved December 7, 1909.



*The second title page (under which this book most often seems to be cataloged) omits the word “franchises,” and reads “Revised Charter and Ordinances of the City of Lockport Printed by Authority of the Common Council of the City.”




Chapter 22—Concealed Weapons, §§ 526-534 in Codified Ordinances of the City of Anaconda (1905).

“Sec. 526. Carrying Concealed Weapons an Offense.—It shall be unlawful for any person within the limits of the City of Anaconda to carry or wear under his clothes or concealed about his person, any pistol, revolver, slung-shot, cross-knuckles, knuckles of lead, brass or other metal, bowie knife, dirk knife or dirk, razor or dagger, or any other dangerous or deadly weapon.

Sec. 527. Such Weapons Confiscate to City.—Any such weapon or weapons, duly adjudged by the Police Magistrate or Justice of the Peace acting as Police Magistrate to have been worn or carried by any person, in violation of the foregoing section of this chapter, shall be forfeited or confiscated to the said City of Anaconda and shall be so adjudged.

Sec. 528. Police to Arrest Person Carrying Concealed Weapon.—It shall be the duty of the policemen of the City of Anaconda to arrest without a warrant any person or persons whom any policeman may find in the act of carrying or wearing under their clothes or concealed about their persons any pistol, revolver, slung-shot, cross- knuckles, knuckles of lead, brass or other metal, bowie knife, dirk knife, dirk or dagger, razor, or other dangerous or deadly weapon, and detain him in the city jail until a complaint can be made against him and a warrant secured, and bring him before the Police Magistrate for the trial of such person or persons, and for the seizure and confiscation of such of the weapons above referred to as such person or persons may be found in the act of carrying or wearing under their clothes, or concealed about their persons.

Sec. 529. Trial.—The Police Magistrate, or Justice of the Peace acting as Police Magistrate, before whom the complaint is made, as provided in the foregoing section, shall proceed to the hearing and determination of the matter, and if it shall be adjudged that such person or persons has or have incurred any of the penalties fixed by this chapter, such magistrate or justice of the peace shall so adjudge, and order that the weapon or weapons, concerning the carrying or wearing of which said penalty shall have been incurred, shall be confiscated to the City of Anaconda.

Sec. 530. Penalty.—Any person or persons violating any of the provisions of Section 526 of this Chapter shall pay a fine of not less than ten dollars nor more than three hundred dollars.

Sec. 531. Exceptions; License to Carry.—The prohibitions of this Chapter shall not apply to the police force of the City of Anaconda when on duty, sheriffs and sheriffs’ officers and officers of the State and of the United States, whose several duties may be of a character requiring them to have arms in the performance of their duty, nor to persons whose business or occupation may seem to require the carrying of weapons for their protection, and who shall have obtained from the Mayor a license so to do as hereinafter provided.

Sec. 532. Mayor May Grant License.—The Mayor may grant to so many and such persons as he may think proper licenses to carry concealed weapons, and may revoke any and all such licenses at his pleasure.

Sec. 533. Application for License.—Applications for such licenses shall be made to the Mayor, and when granted, the person applying therefor shall pay to the City Treasurer the sum of two dollars, and thereupon a license shall be issued by the City Clerk and signed by the Mayor. Every such license shall state the name, age, occupation and residence of the person to whom it is granted, and shall expire on the thirtieth day of April next following.

Sec. 534. Penally for Violation.—Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this Chapter, where no other penalty is prescribed, shall upon conviction be fined in a sum not less than one hundred dollars for each and every offense.”

1905, Anaconda, MT, Ch. 22, §§ 526-534, Codified Ordinances of the City of Anaconda


T. O’Leary, ed., Codified Ordinances of the City of Anaconda: With the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, Constitution of the State of Montana, Laws Relating to Municipal Corporations, Laws for the Government of Cities (Anaconda, MT: City Council, 1906), 390-392. Chapter 22—Concealed Weapons, §§ 526-534. Passed October 2, 1905.




An Ordinance Regulating the Carrying of Loaded Firearms in the City of Albany, Part 4, Ch. 72, §§ 1-5 in The Municipal Code of the City of Albany (1905).

“Sec. 1. Any person, other than a peace officer, who shall in any public street, highway, or place within the city of Albany, have or carry concealed upon his person any loaded pistol, revolver, or other firearm, without theretofore having been authorized as hereinafter provided to carry the same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding one hundred and fifty dollars, or by imprisonment in a penitentiary or county jail for not more than one hundred and fifty days, or by both.

Sec. 2.   Any person, except as provided in this ordinance, who has occasion to carry a loaded revolver, pistol, or firearm for his protection, may apply to the Commissioner of Public Safety—and such officer, if satisfied that the applicant is a proper and lawabiding person, shall give the said person a permit allowing him to carry such loaded firearms for such period of time as he may deem proper. Any nonnresident who does business in the city of Albany, and has occasion to carry a loaded pistol, revolver, or firearm while in the said city, must make application for permission to do so, to the Commissioner of Public Safety, in the same manner as is required of residents of said city, and shall be subject to the same conditions and restrictions.

Sec. 3.   If, at the time of arrest, a loaded pistol, revolver, or firearm of any description shall be found concealed on the person of the one arrested, the officer making the arrest shall state such fact to the magistrate before whom the prisoner is brought, and shall make a separate complaint against such prisoner, for violation of the provisions of this ordinance.

Sec. 4. The Commissioner of Public Safety is hereby authorized and empowered, for reason appearing to be satisfactory to him, to annul, or revoke any permission given under this ordinance. Every person to whom a permit shall be granted as above provided, shall pay therefor, the sum of two dollars and fifty cents; which shall be applied in aid of the Police Pension Fund; and a return in detail, shall be made monthly by the Commissioner of Public Safety, to the Comptroller of the City, of the amount so received and credited. All persons to whom such permission shall be granted are hereby declared to be individually responsible for their own acts, or the consequences that may arise from the use of loaded pistols, revolvers, or firearms, carried under the permission obtained as provided in this ordinance.

Sec. 5. All ordinances or parts of ordinances of the city of Albany, inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed.”

1905, Albany, NY, Municipal Code of the City of Albany, Part 4, Ch. 72, §§ 1-5


Franklin M. Danaher and Charles H. Mills, eds., Municipal Code of the City of Albany, N.Y.: Containing the Dongan Charter, Second Class Cities’ Law, the Unrepealed Portions of the Former City Charters, General and Special State Laws Applicable to the City of Albany and the General City Ordinances, Complete to September, 1910 (Albany, NY: The Brandow Printing Company, 1910), 849-850. Part 4—General Ordinances, Chapter 72—An ordinance regulating the carrying of loaded firearms in the City of Albany, §§ 1-5. Passed March 6, 1905.




An Ordinance Regulating the Carrying of Loaded Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons in the City of Troy, §§ 1-6, in Municipal Ordinances of the City of Troy (1905).

“Sec. 1. Any person, other than a peace officer, who shall in any public street, highway or place within the City of Troy, have or carry concealed upon his person any loaded pistol, revolver, or other firearm, or any slungshot, billy, sand-club, or a dagger, dirk, stilletto, or dangerous knife, without theretofore having been authorized as hereinafter provided to carry the same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding one hundred and fifty dollars or by imprisonment in a penitentiary or county jail for not more than one hundred and fifty days, or by both.

Sec. 2. Any person, except as provided in this ordinance, who has occasion to carry a loaded revolver, pistol or firearm for his protection, may apply to the commissioner of public safety—and such officer, if satisfied that the applicant is a proper and lawabiding person, shall give the said person a permit allowing him to carry such loaded firearm for such period of time as he may deem proper. Any non-resident who does business in the City of Troy, and has occasion to carry a loaded pistol, revolver, or firearm while in the said city, must make application for permission to do so, to the commissioner of public safety, in the same manner as is required of residents of said city, and shall be subject to the same conditions and restrictions.

Sec. 3. If, at the time of arrest, a loaded pistol, revolver, or firearm of any description or slungshot, billy, sand club, or a dagger, dirk, stilletto, or dangerous knife, shall be found concealed on the person of the one arrested, the officer making the arrest shall state such fact to the Magistrate before whom the prisoner is brought, and shall make a separate complaint against such prisoner, for violation of the provisions of this ordinance.

Sec. 4. The commissioner of public safety is hereby authorized and empowered, for reasons appearing to be satisfactory to him, to annul, or revoke any permission given under this ordinance. Every person to whom a permit shall be given as above provided, shall pay therefore, the sum of two dollars and fifty cents; which shall be applied in aid of the police pension fund; and a return in detail, shall be made monthly by the commissioner of public safety, to the comptroller of the city, of the amount so received and credited. All persons to whom such permission shall be granted are hereby declared to be individually responsible for their own acts or the consequences that may arise from the use of loaded pistols, revolvers, or firearms, carried under the permission obtained as provided in this ordinance.

Sec. 5. All ordinances or parts of ordinances of the City of Troy, inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed.

Sec. 6. This ordinance shall take effect immediately”

1905, Troy, NY, An Ordinance Regulating the Carrying of Loaded Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons in the City of Troy, §§ 1-6


John T. Norton, ed., Municipal Ordinances of the City of Troy—Rules and Regulations of the Health Department—Rules and Regulations with Reference to the Water Works (Troy, NY: Troy Times Art Press, 1905), 425-426. An Ordinance Regulating the Carrying of Loaded Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons in the City of Troy, §§ 1-6. Passed May 4, 1905.




Chapter 6—Miscellaneous Ordinances, Article 26—Concealed Weapons, §§ 483-468 in The Municipal Code of Berlin (1890).

        “Sec. 483. It shall be unlawful for any person, within the limits of the City of Berlin, to carry or wear under his clothes, or concealed about his person, any pistol, colt or slung shot, cross knuckles, or knuckles of lead, brass or other metal or bowie knife, dirk knife or dirk, razor or dagger, or any other dangerous or deadly weapon.
And any person who shall violate any provision of this section, shall pay a fine of not less than one dollar nor more than fifty dollars for each offense.
        Sec. 484. The provisions of this article shall not apply to the officers or members of the police force of said City when on duty, nor to any officer whose duty it may be to serve warrants or make arrests; nor to persons who shall have obtained from the Mayor a license to carry such weapons for their protection as hereinafter provided.
        Sec. 485. The Mayor may grant, to such persons as he may deem proper, license to carry concealed weapons and may revoke such license at his pleasure.
        Sec. 486. Application for such license shall be made to the Mayor, and, when granted, the person so licensed shall pay to the City Treasurer the sum of one dollar, and thereupon a license shall be issued by the City Clerk and signed by the Mayor. Every such license shall state the name, age, occupation, and residence of the person to whom it is granted and shall expire on the thirtieth day of April next following.”

1890, WI, The Municipal Code of Berlin, Ch. 6—Miscellaneous Ordinances, Art. 26—Concealed Weapons, §§ 483-468


The Municipal Code of Berlin Comprising the Charter and the General Ordinances of the City Codified and Revised (Berlin, WI: Courant Steam Print, 1890), 112-113. Chapter 6—Miscellaneous Ordinances, Article 26—Concealed Weapons, §§ 483-468. Passed, adopted, and approved on June 4, 1890.




Shooting Galleries, Ordinances of the City Council of Memphis, Ch. 4, Art. 5, §§1-8 (1867).

        “Section 1. That from and after the passage of this ordinance, no person or persons shall be allowed, under any pretence whatever, to open, set up or establish a shooting gallery in the first story of any building within the corporate limits of the City of Memphis, under a penalty of fifty dollars per day for each and every day that such shooting gallery shall be set up or continued within said corporate limits of the city.
        Sec. 2. That before a shooting gallery shall be set up or established in the cellar or basement story, or any other story of any building within the corporate limits of the City of Memphis, the proprietor or proprietors of such proposed shooting gallery shall apply to the City Tax Collector on Privileges, and obtain license therefor for the term of twelve months, as other city licenses are procured.
        Sec. 3. That such person or persons, on making application for license as above provided, to open, set up or establish a shooting gallery in the City of Memphis, shall, before receiving such license, enter into bond, with security, in the sum of one thousand dollars, payable to the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Memphis; conditioned that no gambling of any kind, no sleight-of-hand nor device or practice forbidden by the laws of Tennessee or the Charter or ordinances of the City of Memphis, shall be permitted or allowed to be carried on in such shooting gallery, nor in any room or apartment connected therewith, or adjacent thereto, which may be directly or indirectly under the management or control of the keepers or proprietors of such shooting gallery. And all shooting or practicing which may be done in such shooting gallery shall be done with perfect safety and security to person and property in the vicinity or reach thereof.
        Sec. 4. That the keepers or proprietors of such shooting gallery shall not permit any minors, or persons under twenty-one years of age, to shoot, practice or experiment therein, with guns or other instruments, unless the fathers or guardians of such minors or persons are present and consent thereto.
        Sec. 5. That the license required by this ordinance for opening or setting up a shooting gallery, shall be one hundred dollars per annum, which shall be paid to the Tax Collector on Privileges, before license to open such shooting gallery shall be issued by the City Register.
        Sec. 6. That the terms “shooting gallery,” as used in this ordinance, shall be construed to mean and are hereby declared to mean and embrace all places where firearms are discharged and used, and also where any and all kinds and styles of guns, pistols, fowling-pieces, or any other instrument or instruments, by whatsoever name or names they may be called, and which are or may be employed or used in the sports or amusements of shooting galleries, are discharged, used or practiced with.
        Sec. 7. That any person who shall violate the first Section of this ordinance shall be fined fifty dollars per day so long as such violation shall be continued; and for violating the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth Sections, or any provisions thereof, the offender shall be fined not less than twenty-five nor more than fifty dollars for each and every offense.
        Sec. 8. That the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Memphis hereby reserve to the city the right to repeal this ordinance, and revoke and recall any license issued under its provisions at any time thereafter, upon paying the holder or owner of such license a pro rata portion of the amount paid by him therefor.”        

1867, TN, Shooting Galleries, Ordinances of the City Council of Memphis, Ch. 4, Art. 5, §§1-8


WM. H. Bridges, Digest of the Charters and Ordinances of the City of Memphis, from 1826 to 1867, Inclusive, together with the Acts of the Legislature Relating to the City, with an Appendix (Memphis, TN: Bulletin Publishing Company, 1867), 304-306. Ch. 4 An Ordinance in Relation to City Licenses or Tax on Privileges and Occupations, Specifying the Rates Charged and Defining the Provisions Regulating and Controlling the Same, Art. 5 Shooting Galleries, §§1-8. Approved 11 July, 1867.




No. 24. An act in addition to An Act, (approved January 30th, 1835,) entitled An Act to prevent any person in this Territory from carrying arms secretly, §1 (10 Feb., 1838).

“Section 1. Be it enacted by the Governor and Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, That from and after the passage of this act, it shall not be lawful for any person or persons in this Territory to vend dirks, pocket pistols, sword canes, or bowie knives, until he or they shall have first paid to the treasurer of the county in which he or they intend to vend weapons, a tax of two hundred dollars per annum, and all persons carrying said weapons openly shall pay to the officer aforesaid a tax of ten dollars per annum; and it shall be the duty of said officer to give the parties so paying a written certificate, stating that they have complied with the provisions of this act. Four fifths of all monies so collected to be applied by the county courts to county purposes, the other fifth to be paid to the prosecuting attorney.”

1838, FL, An Act to prevent any person in this Territory from carrying arms secretly, §1


Acts of the Legislative Council, of the Territory of Florida, Passed at its Sixteenth Session, Commencing Monday January 1st, and Ending Sunday February 11th, 1838. With also the Resolutions of a Public or General Character Adopted by the Legislative Council (Tallahassee, FL: S. S. Sibley, Printer, 1838), 36. No. 24, § 1. 




An Act to Prevent Popery within this Province, Votes and Proceedings of the Lower House of Assembly of the Province of Maryland (22 May, 1756).

“And be it further Enacted, That all such Armour, Gunpowder, and Ammunition, of whatsoever Kinds, as any Papist whatever, within this Province, hath or shall have in his House or Houses, or elsewhere, or in the Hands and Possession of any other Person at his or their Disposition, shall be taken from such Papist, or Others, which have or shall have the same to the Use of such Papist, by Warrant of any Four Justices of the Peace of the County where such Papist shall be Resident (other than such necessary Weapons as shall be thought fit by the same Justices to remain and be allowed for the Defence of the Person or Persons of such Papists, or for the Defence of his, her or their Houses), and that such Armour and Ammunition, so taken, shall be kept and maintained in such Places as the Justices of the Peace, for the said County, shall, at their next County Court, direct and appoint.

And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any such Papist, having, or which shall have, any such Armour, Gunpowder, and Ammunition, or any of them, or if any other Person or Persons, who shall have any such Armour, Gunpowder, and Ammunition, or any of them, to the Use of any such Papist, shall refuse to declare or manifest to the said Four Justices, or either of them, what Armour, he, she or they have, or shall have, or shall let, hinder, or disturb, the Delivery thereof to the said Justices, or to any other Person or Persons authorized by their Warrant to take and seize the same, then every such Person, so offending, contrary to this Act in this Behalf, shall forfeit and lose, to the Right Honourable the Lord Proprietary, his Heirs and Successors, his and their said Armour, Gunpowder, and Ammunition ; and shall also be imprisoned by Warrant of or from any Four Justices of the Peace of such County, by the Space of Three Months, without Bail or Mainprize.”

1756, MD, An Act to Prevent Popery within this Province


Votes and Proceedings of the Lower House of Assembly of the Province of Maryland, February Session, 1756 (Annapolis, MD: Jonas Green, 1757), 95.



See also: Maryland Historical Society, Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland ; 24, 1755-1756, Ed. William H. Browne, vol. 52 (Baltimore, MD: The Lord Baltimore Press, 1935), 454.

“And be it further Enacted, That all Arms Gunpowder and Ammunition of what kind soever any Papist or reputed Papist within this Province hath or shall have in his House or Houses or elsewhere shall be taken from Such Papist or reputed Papist by Warrant under the hand of one Justice of the Peace for the County wherein such Papist or reputed Papist shall be Resident and that the said Arms and Ammunition so taken Shall be kept in Such Place as the Said Justice shall appoint. And be it further Enacted that if any Such Papist or reputed Papist having or which Shall have any Armes Gunpowder and Ammunition or any of them shall refuse to declare or manifest the Same to the Said Justice of the Peace or to any other Person Authorized by the Warrant of the Said Justice to take and Seize the same then every Such Person so Offending shall forfeit and lose the Said Armour Gunpowder and Ammunition and Shall also be imprisoned by Warrant of or from the Said Justice for the Space of three Months without Bail or Mainprize.”

1756, MD, Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland, Ed. William H. Browne




An Ordinance To Regulate the Sale, Storage, and keeping of Gunpowder and other Explosive and Dangerous Materials, within the limits of the City of Bayonne, §1-5 (NJ, 24 Nov., 1877).

“Sec. 1. That no person or persons shall sell or expose for sale within the limits of the City of Bayonne, any gunpowder without having first obtained a license from the Mayor and Council of the City of Bayonne as hereinafter provided, under the penalty of twenty dollars for each offence.

Sec. 2. That no person or persons shall keep, store, or have in their possession or custody, gunpowder within the limits of the City of Bayonne, in a greater quantity than fifteen pounds at any one place, under a penalty of fifty dollars for each day said gunpowder is so kept, stored or had in his, her or their posession or custody.

Sec. 3. That before any person or persons shall sell or expose for sale any gunpowder within the limits of the City of Bayonne, he, she or they shall make application to the Mayor and Council of the City of Bayonne for a license so to do, which application shall be signed by at least five freeholders resident in the City of Bayonne, and shall not be granted until the next stated meeting of the Council after the said application is received. The Council may grant such license by a resolution passed by at least a majority of concurring votes and approved by the Mayor, or by such action as becomes necessary in cases of nonapproval by him of ordinances or resolutions affecting the city. Such license shall be valid for one year from the date of the granting thereof. The yeas and nays upon the passage of such resolution shall in all cases be recorded upon the minutes. Before any licenses so granted shall be valid, it must be first taken out and paid for, and hung up in a conspicuous place in the premises where the applicant carries on or intends to carry on the business of selling gunpowder. Every license so granted shall be sealed with the corporate seal signed by the Mayor attested by the City Clerk. The Council may revoke or annul any such license granted, in case the person or persons so licensed shall offend against any part of this ordinance. Every person or persons so licensed shall pay to the Collector of Revenue the sum of two dollars before such license shall be delivered to him, her or them.

Sec. 4. No person or persons shall keep, store or have in his, her or their possession or custody within the limits of the City of Bayonne, any nitro-glycerine, dynamite, giant powder, or any other dangerous and explosive substance, (except gunpowder in the hands of licensed dealers or fireworks in the hands of a person or persons having a permit from the Mayor and Council) unless specially authorized to do so by a resolution of the Council approved by the Mayor, under the penalty of fifty dollars for each day said substances or any of them are or is so kept, stored or had in his, her or their posession or custody.

Sec. 5. No person or persons shall sell or expose for sale any fire works of any kind or description, within the limits of the City of Bayonne, unless he, she or they shall have first obtained from the Mayor and Council of the City of Bayonne a permit so to do, which permit shall be granted on such terms, conditions and limitations as said Mayor and Council may prescribe and require, under a penalty of Ten dollars for each and every offence.”

1877, NJ, An Ordinance To Regulate the Sale, Storage, and keeping of Gunpowder and other Explosive and Dangerous Materials, within the limits of the City of Bayonne, §1-5


Ordinances of the City of Bayonne, From 1869 to 1894 (Bayonne, NJ: The Rinker Printing Co., 1894), 338-340. 




Bloomington, IL – Licenses, Division 11, Shooting Galleries, §1-3 (1850-1876)*

“Section 1. Shooting Galleries Licensed.] No person shall own, keep or run any shooting gallery or place for target shooting, without first obtaining a license therefor, under a penalty of twenty-five dollars for each offense.
§ 2. Rate of License.] The rate of license for shooting galleries and places for target shooting, shall be, for one year, ten dollars ; and for any shorter period, the sum of fifty cents per day for the number of days covered by the license.
§ 3. Construction of License.] No license shall authorize the firing of any gun or any firearm within the city, in contravention of any ordinance of the city, nor shall it authorize the establishment or keeping of any shooting gallery or place for target practice in any alley of the city, or in, or upon, any uninclosed place, nor shall any such gallery or place for target practice be kept in any alley or uninclosed place within the city, under a penalty of twenty-five dollars.”

1876, Bloomington, IL, Licenses – Division 11, Shooting Galleries, §1-3.


Isaac N. Phillips, The Revised Ordinances of the City of Bloomington, A.D. 1876: Comprising the general ordinances, acts of incorporation, and other laws affecting the City of Bloomington (Bloomington, IL: Leader Steam Printing and Publishing House, 1876), 47. Licenses, Division 11. Shooting Galleries, §1-3.

*The Revised Ordinances does not specify the year in which this law was originally passed.




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 39-40, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, §§ 10-16.

§ 10. In the trial of a person for committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence, the fact that he was unlawfully armed with a firearm shall be prima facie evidence of his intent to commit said crime of violence. § 11. The provisions of Sections 6, 7 and 8 of this Act shall not apply to members of police departments, sheriffs, marshals, members of military and naval forces of the Territory and of the United States, mail carriers, law enforcement officers, or persons employed by the Territory or subdivisions thereof or the United States whose duties require them to be armed, while such persons are in the performance of their respective duties, or while going to and from their respective places of duty, nor shall the provisions of Sections 3 and 4 of this Act apply to such firearms or ammunition as are a part of the official equipment of any Federal agency. § 12. All firearms or ammunition carried or possessed contrary to this Act shall be forfeited to the Territory, and shall be destroyed by the chief of police of the city and county of Honolulu or the sheriff of the county, other than the city and county of Honolulu, in whose jurisdiction they are forfeited. § 13. All permits and licenses provided for under this Act may be revoked, for good cause, by the issuing authority or by the judge of any court. § 14. Within ten days after the last day of each month each of the authorities herein authorized to issue or revoke permits and licenses shall make a report to the bureau of crime statistics as of the last day of the preceding month of all permits and licenses issued or revoked by him. Said report shall be in such manner and in such form as the bureau of crime statistics shall prescribe. § 15. If any person, in complying with any of the requirements of this Act, shall give false information, or offer false evidence of his identity, he shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both. § 16. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this Act is, for any reason, held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Act. The Legislature hereby declares that it would have approved this Act and each section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more other sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared unconstitutional.




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 38, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, § 9.

No person shall willfully alter, remove, or obliterate the name of the make, model, manufacturer’s number or other mark of identity of any firearm or ammunition. Possession of such firearm or ammunition upon which any mark of identity shall have been altered, removed, or obliterated shall be presumptive evidence that such possessor has altered, removed or obliterated the same. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both.




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 39, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, § 8.

§ 8. In an exceptional case, when the applicant shows good reason to fear injury to his person or property, the chief of police of the city and county of Honolulu or the sheriff of a county, other than the city and county of Honolulu, may grant a license to a citizen of the United States or a duly accredited official representative of a foreign nation, of the age of twenty years or more, to carry concealed on his person within the city and county or the county in which such license is granted, a pistol or revolver and ammunition therefor. Unless renewed, such license shall automatically become void at the expiration of one year from date of issue. No such license shall issue unless it appears that the applicant is a suitable person to be so licensed, and in no event to a person who has been convicted of a felony, or adjudged insane, in the Territory or elsewhere. All licenses to carry concealed weapons heretofore issued shall expire at midnight on the effective date of this Act. No person shall carry concealed on his person a pistol or revolver or ammunition therefor without being licensed so to do under the provisions of this section. For each such license there shall he charged a fee of ten dollars ($10.00), which shall be covered into the treasury of the city and county or the county in which such license is granted. Any person violating this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both.




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 38-39, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, § 7.

The manufacture, possession, sale, barter, trade, gift, transfer, or acquisition of any machine guns, sub-machine guns, automatic rifles, cannon, mufflers, silencers or devices for deadening or muffling tile sound of discharged firearms, or any bomb or bombshell is prohibited. Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both.




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 38, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, § 6.

The possession of all firearms and ammunition shall be confined to the possessor’s place of business, residence, or sojourn, or to carriage as merchandise in a wrapper from the place of purchase to the purchaser’s home, place of business or place of sojourn, or between these places and a place of repair, or upon change of place of business, abode, or sojourn, except as provided in Sections 5 and 8; provided, however, that no person who has been convicted in this Territory or elsewhere, of having committed or attempted a crime of violence, shall own or have in his possession or under his control a pistol or revolver or ammunition therefor. Any person violating any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both.




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 38, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, § 5.

Any person who has procured a hunting license under the provisions of Sections 2028-2032, inclusive, of the Revised Laws of Hawaii 1925, as amended, shall, while actually engaged in hunting or while going to or from the place of hunting, be authorized to carry and use any lawfully acquired rifle or shotgun and suitable ammunition therefor.




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 37-38, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, § 4.

§ 4. No person residing or doing business or temporarily sojourning within the Territory shall take possession of any fire arm of any description, whether usable or unusable, serviceable or unserviceable, modern or antique, registered under prior Acts or unregistered, or of any ammunition of any kind or description, except shotgun ammunition, either through sale, gift, loan, bequest, or otherwise, whether procured in the Territory or imported by mail, express, freight, or otherwise, until he shall first have procured from the chief of police of the city and county of Honolulu or the sheriff of the county, other than the city and county of Honolulu, wherein is his place of business, or if there be no place of business, his residence, or if there be neither place of business nor residence, his place of sojourn, a permit to acquire as prescribed herein. The chief of police of the city and county of Honolulu or the sheriffs of the several counties, other than the city and county of Honolulu, are hereby authorized, within their discretion, to issue permits, within their respective jurisdictions, to acquire rifles, pistols, and revolvers to citizens of the United States, of the age of twenty years or more, and to duly accredited official representatives of foreign nations. Permits to acquire ammunition for rifles, pistols and revolvers acquired prior to the effective date of this Act and registered in accordance with the provisions hereof, may be granted persons [sic] of the age of twenty years or more irrespective of citizenship. Permits to acquire shotguns may be granted to persons of the age of sixteen years or more, irrespective of citizenship. Applications for such permits shall be signed by the applicant upon forms to be specified by the bureau of crime statistics, and shall be signed by the issuing authority. One copy of such permit shall be retained by the issuing authority, as a permanent official record. Such permit shall be void unless used within ten days after the date of issue. In all cases where possession is acquired from another person in the Territory the permit shall be signed in ink by the holder thereof and shall thereupon he delivered to and taken up by the person selling, loaning, giving or delivering the firearm or ammunition, who shall make entry thereon setting forth in the space provided therefor the name of the person to whom the firearm or ammunition was delivered, and the make, style, caliber, and number, as applicable. He shall then sign it in ink and cause it to he delivered or sent by registered mail to the issuing authority within forty-eight hours. In case receipt of such firearms or ammunition is had by mail, express, freight, or otherwise, from sources outside the Territory, the person to whom such permit has been issued, shall make the prescribed entries thereon, sign in ink, and cause it to be delivered or sent by registered mail to the issuing authority within forty-eight hours after taking possession of the firearms or ammunition. No person shall sell, give, loan, or deliver into the possession of another any firearm or ammunition except in accordance with the Provisions of this section. Any person acquiring a firearm or ammunition under the provisions of this section shall, within five days of acquisition, register same in the manner prescribed by Section 3 of this Act. No fee shall be charged for permits under this section. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both.




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 36-37, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, § 3.

Every person residing or doing business or temporarily sojourning within the Territory on the effective date of this Act who possesses a firearm of any description, whether usable or unusable, serviceable or unserviceable, modern or antique, not already registered in the name of the present possessor, or who possesses ammunition of any kind or description, except shotgun ammunition, shall, within ten days of said effective date, register the same with the chief of police of the city and county of Honolulu or the sheriff of the county, other than the city and county of Honolulu, wherein is his place of business, or if there be no place of business, his residence, or if there be neither place of business nor residence, his place of sojourn. Every person arriving in the Territory after the effective date of this Act, who brings with him firearms or ammunition of the type and description set out in this section, shall register the same in similar manner within forty-eight hours after arrival. The registration shall be on such forms as may be designated by the bureau of crime statistics and shall include a description of the class of firearm or firearms and ammunition owned by him, or in his possession, together with the name of the maker and the factory number, if known or ascertainable, and the source from which possession was obtained. Within sixty days after the effective date of this Act, the chief of police of the city and county of Honolulu and the sheriffs of the several counties, other than the city and county of Honolulu, shall furnish the bureau of crime statistics a record of all registrations now on file in their respective offices. Within ten days after the end of each month the chief of police of the city and county of Honolulu and the sheriffs of the several counties, other than the city and county of Honolulu, shall furnish to the bureau of crime statistics duplicate copies of all registrations made during the preceding month. No fee shall be charged for such registration. Any person who fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall he punished by a fine of not more than two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00).




1933 Haw. Sess. Laws 36, An Act Regulating the Sale, Transfer, and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition, § 2.

Definitions. “Firearm” as used in this Act means any weapon, the operating force of which is an explosive. This definition includes pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, automatic rifles, noxious gas projectors, mortars, bombs, cannon and sub-machine guns. The specific mention herein of certain weapons does not exclude from the definition other weapons operated by explosives. “Crime of violence” as used in this Act means any of the following crimes, namely: murder, manslaughter, rape, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, and those certain crimes set forth in Sections 4130 and 4131 of said Revised Laws. “Pistol” or “revolver” as used in this Act, means and includes any firearm of any shape whatsoever with barrel less than twelve inches in length and capable of discharging loaded ammunition or any noxious gas. “‘Person” as used in this Act includes individuals, firms, corporations and copartnerships, and includes wholesale and retail dealers.




1933 Wyo. Sess. Laws 117, An Act Relating to the Registering and Recording of Certain Facts Concerning the Possession and Sale of Firearms by all Wholesalers, Retailers, Pawn Brokers, Dealers and Purchasers, Providing for the Inspection of Such Register, Making the Violation of the Provisions Hereof a Misdemeanor, and Providing a Penalty Therefor, ch. 101, §§ 1-4.

§ 1. 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. § 2. Every person who purchases any firearm from any retailer, pawn broker or dealer, shall sign his name or make his mark properly witnessed, if he cannot write, on said Firearm Register, at the time of the delivery to him of any firearm so purchased. § 3. The firearm register, herein required to be kept, shall be prepared by every wholesaler, retailer, pawn broker and dealer in firearms in the state of Wyoming within 30 days after this Act shall become effective and shall thereafter be continued as herein provided. It shall be kept at the place of business of said wholesaler, retailer, pawn broker or dealer, and shall be subject to inspection by any peace officer at all reasonable times. § 4. Any person, firm or corporation who shall fail or refuse to comply with the provisions of this Act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not to exceed $100.00, or imprisoned in the County Jail for a period of not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.




1931 Ill.Laws 453, An Act to Regulate the Sale, Possession and Transportation of Machine Guns, § 4.

Every manufacturer or merchant shall keep a register of all machine guns manufactured or handled by him. This register shall show the date of the sale, loan, gift, delivery or receipt of any machine gun, the name, address and occupation of the person to whom the machine gun was sold, loaned, given or delivered, or from whom it was received, and the purpose for which the person to whom the machine gun was sold, loaned, given or delivered, purchased or obtained said machine gun. Upon demand, every manufacturer or merchant shall permit any sheriff or deputy sheriff, or any police officer to inspect his entire stock of machine guns, parts and supplies therefor, and shall produce the register herein required and all written permits to purchase or possess a machine gun, which he has retained and filed in his place of business for inspection by such officer.




1931 Cal. Stat. 2317, An Act to Control and Regulate the Possesion, Sale and Use of Pistols, Revolvers and Other Firearms Capable of Being Concealed Upon the Person, ch. 1098, §9.

Every person in the business of selling, leasing, or otherwise transferring a pistol, revolver or other firearm, of a size capable of being concealed upon the person, whether such seller, lessor or transferor is a retail dealer, pawnbroker, or otherwise, except as hereinafter provided, shall keep a register in which shall be entered the time of sale, the date of sale, the name of the salesman making the sale, the place where sold, the make, model, manufacturer’s number, caliber, or other marks of identification on such pistol, revolver or other firearm. Such register shall be prepared by and obtained from the state printer and shall be furnished by the state printer to such dealers on application at a cost of three dollars per one hundred leaves in triplicate . . . [t]he purchaser of any firearm capable of being concealed upon the person shall sign, and the dealer shall require him to sign his name and affix his address to said register in triplicate, and the salesman shall affix his signature in triplicate as a witness to the signature of the purchaser. . . [t]his section shall not apply to wholesale dealers in their business intercourse with retail dealers.




1927 Haw. Sess. Laws 209-217, 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”), §§ 25-26.

Section 25. Section 2143 of the Revised Laws of Hawaii 1925, is hereby amended by inserting, after the first sentence in said section [“The permit mentioned in section 2141 shall not be issued to any alien until the applicant has filed with the sheriff or a deputy sheriff of the county or city and county a request in writing, signed by two responsible citizens requesting that such permit be issued, and recommending and vouching for the applicant.”], the following: “The request aforesaid shall include (1) an expression of the belief of such citizens that the applicant has never committed or attempted a crime of violence, as that phrase is defined in the Small Arms Act; that he has never been convicted thereof anywhere and that he is not likely to commit or attempt any such crime and (2) a brief statement of the facts relating to the age, character, nativity and personal history of the applicant, insofar as these facts are within the personal knowledge of such responsible citizens. Such facts as are within the personal knowledge of one of them, only, shall be included in a supplemental written statement signed by the person having such knowledge.” [The rest of Section 2143 reads: “Aliens obtaining a permit as prescribed by the above section shall be required to secure an annual license from the treasurer of the county or city and county, and to pay to the treasurer an annual license tax of five dollars; provided, however, that to aliens who must necessarily use fire-arms in carrying on their business, such as rice planting, such license shall be issued free of charge upon a certificate from the sheriff of the county or city and county in which they carry on such business to the effect that the fire-arms and ammunition mentioned in their permit are necessary to the conduct of their business.”]
Section 26. Section 2146 of the Revised Laws of Hawaii 1925, is hereby amended to read as follows: “Section 2146. Penalties. Any person who shall be found in the possession of any firearm or firearms or any ammunition without having complied with the provisions of this chapter, or who shall fail to give, file or forward required information, reports or statements, or who shall otherwise violate the provisions of this chapter in matters not covered by Section 2142 hereof, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined by the court of appropriate jurisdiction in a sum of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00). Any person, firm, corporation, copartnership, failing to file any information herein required to be filed, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined by the court of appropriate jurisdiction not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00).
The divulging of official information recorded or on file in a public office shall be punishable in like manner; provided, however, that where the information divulged has not tended, or been designed to encourage, or to render formidable armed resistance to the law, the fine shall not exceed twenty-five dollars ($25.00).”




1927 Haw. Sess. Laws 209-217, 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”), §§ 23-24.

Section 23. Section 2141 of the Revised Laws of Hawaii 1925, is hereby amended to read as follows: “Section 2141. No delivery without permit to acquire. No person owning, possessing, or entitled to dispose of a firearm of any class, whether or not he be a dealer in firearms, shall deliver a firearm to another person, unless the latter present a permit, in duplicate, authorizing the acquisition by him of a firearm of the kind or class to be delivered and bearing date on a day during the preceding thirty days. Such permits shall be issued by the sheriff of the county or city and county wherein the applicant resides, or, in the case of non-residents, by the sheriff of the county of his sojourn; provided (1) that the applicant is found not to be a habitual criminal or a person who has been convicted in a court of the territory, or in any other court, of having committed or attempted a crime of violence, as that phrase is defined in the Small Arms Act; and (2) that the applicant is found not to be an anarchist or a person who desires the overthrow of the government of the United States or the diminution of its territory or domain or a person who, if armed, would tend to imperil or weaken the government of the United States or of the territory. The person making delivery of any firearm, whether by virtue of a sale, a gift, a loan or otherwise, shall send to the proper sheriff, by registered mail, one copy of the permit, presented to him as aforesaid; such sheriff being the one by whom the permit was issued. The other copy of the permit shall, for sixty days, be retained by the person making delivery as aforesaid. Such permit shall be subject to inspection by any sheriff or officer of the law or his representative; and it shall be the duty of the person making delivery of the firearm to answer, to the best of his ability, orally, or in writing, (as may be required) any reasonable questions by a proper officer or his representative concerning identity or description of the firearm so delivered.”
Section 24. Section 2142 of the Revised Laws of Hawaii 1925, is hereby amended to read as follows: “Section 2142. Penalties. Any person who shall deliver or receive a firearm without complying with the requirements of Section 2141, and any person who shall otherwise violate any provision of said section, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Any person furnishing information leading to the conviction of any person violating any provision of Section 2141 shall be paid an amount equal to one-half of the fine that may be imposed against the person convicted.”