“3. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That no Officer shall beat or abuse any of the Soldiers whilst under Arms on any such Days of Training as aforesaid : But if any Soldier shall, during that Time, use any reproachful or abusive Language towards any of his superior Officers, or shall quarrel himself, or promote any Quarrel amongst his Fellow-Soldiers, or appear in Arms disguised in Liquor, it shall and may be lawful for the Captain or Commanding Officer to disarm such Soldier at the Head of his Company, and to set a Centinel over him during the Time of the Company’s being in Arms and no longer, or to fine him in Manner and Form aforesaid, as the said Captain or Commanding Officer in his Discretion shall think proper.”

“23. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That no Innholder, or any other Person or Persons whatsoever, without Leave from the Captain or Commanding Officer for the Time being, shall presume to sell any strong Liquor to any of the Persons so listed, in such Days or Times that they are obliged to appear in Arms at the Place of Mustering or Training, or within a Mile thereof, until after they are dismissed for that Day ; and every Person or Persons so selling strong Liquor, contrary to the Directions of this Act shall forfeit the Sum of Three Pounds, to be recovered by any Person that will sue for the same, before any Justice of the Peace ; the one Half to such Person as will prosecute the same to Effect, the other Half to be applied for purchasing the Arms and Ammunitien aforesaid.”

1746, NJ, An Act for better settling and regulating the Militia of this Colony of New-Jersey, for the repelling Invasions, and Suppressing Insurrections and Rebellions

The Selective Service System, Backgrounds of Selective Service: Military Obligation. The American Tradition a Compilation of the Enactments of Compulsion from the Earliest Settlements of the Original Thirteen Colonies in 1607 through the Articles of Confederation 1789, Ed. Arthur Vollmer, vol. 2 pt. 8 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1947), 25-26, 31.

14. If any Scholar Shall keep a Gun or Pistol, or Fire one in the College-Yard or College, or Shall Go a Gunning, Fishing, or Sailing, or Shall Go more than Two Miles from College upon any Occasion whatsoever : or Shall be Present at any Court, Election, Town-Meeting, Wedding or Meeting of young People for Diversion or any Such-like Meeting which may Occasion Mispence of precious Time without Liberty first obtain’d from the President or his Tutor, in any of the cases abovesaid he Shall be fined not exceeding Two Shillings. 

Full Text: Perma.cc

§ 1. That no person or persons, from and after the publication of this act, shall presume to discharge or fire off any cannon laden with shot, from any wharf or vessel . . . (within certain areas) § 2. That no person shall . . . discharge any gun or pistol, charged with shot or ball, in the town of Boston, or in any part of the Harbor . . . And for the more effectual conviction of any person or persons so offending, it shall be lawful for any person to seize and take into custody any gun so fired off, and deliver the same . . . § 3 this law shall not be construed or understood as to prevent soldiers in their common training days from discharging arms. (reenacted frequently)

Whereas by the brefore recited act, it is, among other things, enacted, That it shall not be lawful for any person to kill or destroy any deer, running wild in the woods or unfenced grounds in this government, by guns, or any other ways or means whatsoever, between the fifteenth day of February, and the fifteenth day of July, yearly, and in each year, after the ratification of the said act; and that any person convicted of the same, shall forfeit and pay the sum of five pounds, current money . . .

A letter from Governor Clinton to the Lords of Trade. . . . I have taken every other precaution in my power to guard against my surprise by sending circular orders to the respective Colonels of Militia and to the Captains of his Majesty’s Companies posted in this province to inspect the Arms and Accoutrements of their men, and see that they are in good order and fit for immediate service, and that as often as conveniently may be they do exercise the men in arms keeping strict discipline, whereby they may be able not only to repel the French Forces , if this Province should be attacked by them, but to be also in condition if necessary, to attack them, pursuant to Mr. Stones letter to me of 3rd September last by order of their Excellency’s the Lords Justices, for which end I have issued the enclosed proclamation to forbid the exportation of gun powder, or the applying the French with any kind of provisions warlike stores, or merchandise.

[T]hat if any Person or Persons shall presume, at any Time after the Publication hereof, to carry any Gun, or hunt on the improved or inclosed Lands in any Plantation, other than his own unless he have Licence or Permission from the Owner of such Lands or Plantation . . . And if any person whatsoever, who is not owner of one hundred acres of land, or otherwise qualified, in the same manner as persons are or ought to be electing representatives to serve in general assembly shall at any time after the publication hereof, carry any gun, or hunt in the woods or unenclosed lands, without license or permission obtained from the owner or owners of such lands . . . such offender shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten shillings.

It shall not be lawful for any slave, unless in the presence of some white person, to carry or make use of firearms or any offensive weapon whatsoever, unless such negro or slave shall have a ticket or license in writing from his master, mistress or overseer, to hunt and kill game, cattle, or mischievous birds or beasts of prey, and that such license be renewed once every month, or unless there be some white person of the age of 16 or upwards, in the company of such slave when he is hunting or shooting; or that such slave be actually carrying his masters arms to or from his masters plantation, by a special ticket, for that purpose, or unless such slave be found in the day time actually keeping off rice birds, or other birds within the plantation to which such slave belongs, lodging the same gun at night within the dwelling house of his master, mistress or white overseer. And provided also that no negro or other slave shall have liberty to carry any guns, cutlass, pistol or other weapon abroad form at any time between Saturday evening after sunset and Monday morning before sunrise notwithstanding a license or ticket for so doing. And in case any person shall find any slave using or carrying fire-arms, or other offensive weapons, contrary to the true intention of this act; every such person may lawfully seize and take away such fire-arms or offensive weapons; but before the property of such goods shall be vested in the person who shall seize the same, such person shall, within 48 hours next after such seizure, go before the next justice of the peace, and shall make oath of the manner of the taking; and if such justice of the peace after such oath shall be made, or upon any other examination, he shall be satisfied, that the said fire-arms or other offensive weapons, shall have been seized according to the directions and agreeable to the true intent and meaning of this act, the said justice shall, by certificate under his hand and seal, declare them forfeited, and that the property is lawfully vested in the person who seized the same. Provided that no such certificate shall be granted by any justice of the peace until the owner or owners of such fire-arms or other offenisve weapons so to be seized as aforesaid, or the overseer or overseers who shall or may have the charge of such slave or slaves from, whom such fire-arms or other offensive weapons shall be taken or seized shall be duly summoned, to show cause (if any such they have) why the same should not be condemned as forfeited; or until 48 hours after the service of such summons and oath made of the service thereof before the said justice.

XLI. And Whereas an ill custom has prevailed in this Province, of firing guns in the night time; for the prevention thereof for the future, be it enacted that if any person shall fire or shoot off any gun or pistol in the night time after dark and before day-light without necessity every such person shall forfeit the sum of 40s. current money for each gun so fired as aforesaid; to be recovered by warrant from any one justice of the peace of the county where the offense is committed, according to the direction of the act for the trial and small and mean causes, and shall be paid to the church wardens of the parish where the offense shall be committed, for the use of the poor of the said parish.

Malicious Mischief. § 13. And whereas an ill custom has prevailed in this province, of firing guns in the night time; for the prevention thereof for the future, Be it enacted, That if any person shall fire or shoot off any gun or pistol in the night time after dark and before day light, without necessity, every such person shall forfeit the sum of forty shillings current money, for each gun so fired as aforesaid; to be recovered by warrant from any one justice of the peace of the county where the offence is committed, according to the direction of the act for the trial of small and mean causes, and shall be paid to the church wardens of the parish where the offence shall be committed, for the use of the poor of said parish.