What persons or persons soever shall, after publication hereof, shoot any guns at drinking (marriages and funerals only excepted) that such person or persons so offending shall forfeit 100 lb. of tobacco to be levied by distress in case of refusal and to be disposed of by the militia in ammunition towards a magazine for the county where the offence shall be committed.

. . . further, in order to prevent such dangers of isolated murders and assassinations, the Director General and Council, with the advice of the Burgomasters of this city, cannot for the present devise any better or other expedient than already stated, and besides that, to interdict and forbid the admission of any Indians with a gun or other weapon, either in this city or in the Flatland, into the Villages and Hamlets, or into any Houses or any places, on pain of forfeiting such arms, which may and also shall be taken from them . . .

Laws of Plymouth Colony (1656). And likewise that no Indian shall discharge any gun on the Lords day at any thing to the breach of the Sabbath and disturbance of the English; as they will answer it at their peril.

That the Lord’s day be kept holy, and that no journeys be made except in case of emergent necessity on that day, that no goods be laden in boats nor shooting in guns . . . the party delinquent to pay one hundred pounds of tobacco or laid in the stocks . . .

If any planter or person shall hunt or shoot upon or within the limits or precincts of his neighbor or others’ dividends without leave first obtained for his so doing and having been warned by the owner of the land, to forbear hunting and shooting as aforesaid: He or they so offending shall forfeit for every such offense four hundred pounds of tobacco . . .

That any Person who, from and after the Publication of this Act, shall offer any Gun-Powder for Sale, without being previously inspected and marked as is herein after directed, shall forfeit, for every such Offence, the Sum of Five Shillings a Pound for every Pound weight so offered for Sale, and so in Proportion for greater or lesser quantity[.]

That general and field officers of the militia, on any vacancy, be appointed by the two houses, and all inferior officers be chosen by the respective companies.

XIII. and for the better securing the Peace of the Kingdom be it further enacted and ordained and the respective Lieutenants or any two or more of their deputies are hereby enabled and authorized from time to time by Warrant under their Hands and Seals to employ such Person or Persons as they shall think fit (of which a Commissioned Officer and the Constable or his Deputy or the Tythingman or in the absence of the Constable and his Deputy and Tythingman some other Person bearing Office within the Parish where the Search shall be shall be to to search …

Colony Laws. § 4. Be it also enacted by the authority of this court, that no masters of ships, or seamen, having their vessels riding within any of our harbors in this jurisdiction, shall presume to drink healths, or suffer any healths to be drunk within their vessels by day or night, or to shoot off any gun after the daylight is past, or on the sabbath day, on penalty for every health twenty shillings, and for every gun so shot twenty shillings.

Laws of the Colony of New York. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that it shall not be lawful for any slave or slave to have or use any gun, pistol, sword, club or any other kind of weapon whatsoever, but in the presence or by the direction of his her or their Master or Mistress, and in their own ground on Penalty of being whipped for the same at the discretion of the Justice of the Peace before whom such complaint shall come or upon the view of the said justice not exceeding twenty lashes on …

It is ordered, that no man within this Jurisdiction shall directly or indirectly amend, repair, or cause to be amended or repaired, any gun small or great belonging to any Indian, nor shall endure the same, nor shall sell or give to any Indian, directly or indirectly, any such gun or gunpowder, or shot, or lead, or mold, or military weapons, or armor, nor shall make any arrow heads, upon pain of a ten pound fine for every offense at least, nor sell nor barter any guns, powder, bullets or lead, whereby this order might be evaded, to any person …

Whereas it is observed that the Dutch and French do sell and trade to the Indians guns, pistols, and warlike instruments. It is not ordered, that nor person within these liberties shall at any time sell nether gun nor pistol, nor any instrument of war, neither to Dutch nor French men under the penalty of forfeiting twenty for one, and suffering such corporal punishment as the court shall inflict.

Whereas experience hath demonstrated and taught that, besides an unnecessary waste of powder, much Drunkenness and other insolence prevail on New Year’s and May Days, by firing of guns, planting May poles and carousing; also other deplorable accidents such as wounding, which frequently arise therefrom. In order to prevent these in future, the director General and Council expressly forbid from this time forth all firing of Guns . . .on a penalty of 12 guilders for the first offense; double for the second offense, and for the third an arbitrary correction . . .

No person who had not lands of the yearly value of 100 pounds other than the son and heir of an esquire or other person of higher degree, should be allowed to own a gun.

Laws of Plymouth Colony (1671). Whereas several persons have been greatly endangered by setting of guns, it is enacted by the Court and the authority thereof that none shall sett any guns except in enclosures and that the gun be sufficiently enclosed so as it be secure from hurting man or beast and that he that setteth the gun do give warning or notice thereof to all the neighbors on penalty of paying a fine of five pounds to the use of the Colony for every default.

[Laws of the Colony of Plymouth] (1675). It is ordered by the Court, that whoever shall shoot of any gun on any necessary occasion, or at any game whatsoever, except at an Indian or a wolf, shall forfeit five shillings for every such shot, till further liberty shall be given.

Laws of the Colony of New Plymouth (1675). Forasmuch as by frequent and sad experience it is found, that selling etc., of arms and ammunition to the Indians is very poisonous and destructive to the English, it is therefore ordered, decreed, and enacted by the council of war for this jurisdiction, that whosoever shall be found to sell, barter, or give, directly or indirectly, any gun or guns, or ammunition of any kind to any Indian or Indians, and the same legally proved against them, every such person or persons shall be put to death, and in defect of full …

art. 33. The governor for the time being shall be captains general and commander-in-chief over all the militia, and other military and naval forces belonging to this State. art. 34. All militia commissions shall specify that the person commissioned shall continue during good behavior.

Laws of the Duke of York, Indians (1676). No person shall sell give or barter directly or indirectly any gun or guns powder, bullet, shot, lead nor any vessel of burthen, or row boat canoes only excepted without license first had and obtained under the Governor’s hand and Seal, to any Indian whatsoever, nor to any person inhabiting out of this government nor shall amend or repair any gun belonging to any Indian, nor shall sell any armor or weapons, upon penalty of ten pounds for every gun, armor, weapons, vessel or boat, so sold given or bartered, five pounds …

Laws from a meeting of the Governor and Council of Rhode Island January 22, 1676-77. Ordered, the Council taking in their serious considerations not only the inconveniencies, but the discontent which arises in several inhabitants of this Island, by reason that several Indians do pass and repass on and off this Island, with guns and ammunition, showing no ticket or order so to do, these are to order and authorize any inhabitant of this Island that shall meet any Indian or Indians with either gun or guns, or ammunition to take them from him or them, and bring both guns, …

Laws of the Colony of New York, Indians. No person shall sell, give or barter directly or indirectly any gun or guns, powder, bullet, shot, lead nor any vessel or burthen, or row boat, canoes only excepted without license first had and obtained under the governors hand and seal to any Indian whatsoever, nor to any person inhabiting out of this Government, nor shall amend or repair any gun belonging to any Indian, nor shall sell any armor or weapons, upon penalty of ten pounds for every gun, armor, weapon, vessel, or boat so sold given or bartered, five pounds …

. . . the great Assembly should have power, by act confirmed as there expressed, to erect, raise and build within the said Province, or any part thereof, such and so many forts, castles, cities and other places of defense, and the same, or any of them, to fortify and furnish with such provisions and proportions of ordnance, powder, shot, armour and all other weapons, ammunition and abilments of war, both offensive and defensive, as shall be thought necessary and convenient for the safety and welfare of the said Province; as also to constitute train bands and companies, with the …

An Act Against Wearing Swords, Etc. Whereas there hath been great complaint by the inhabitants of this Province, that several persons wearing swords, daggers, pistols, dirks, stilettoes, skeines, or any other unusual or unlawful weapons, by reason of which several persons in this Province, receive great abuses, and put in great fear and quarrels, and challenges made, to the great abuse of the inhabitants of this Province. . . And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that no person or persons after publication hereof, shall presume privately to wear any pocket pistol, skeines, stilettoes, daggers or dirks, or …

For the better secureing of the Government against Papists and reputed Papists bee it enacted by the King and Queens most excellent Majestyes by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Commons in this present Parlyament assembled and by authoritie of the same That it shall and may be lawfull for any two or more Justices of the Peace who shall know or suspect any person to be a Papist or shall be informed that any person is or is suspected to be a Papist to tender and they are hereby authorized and required …

That the subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defence suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law