[By the Court of Albany, etc. (1690) Whereas diverse persons daily waste powder which is of such necessary use for defense of this City and County of Albany, and although many have been advertised thereof yet persist in the same: These are in his majesty’s name to prohibit all persons whatsoever within the same city and county to burn any powder unless to kill provision, or for his majesty’s service and benefit of the place aforesaid, upon pain of paying for every shot or discharging of gun or pistol (contrary to the intent of this order) six shillings current money …

§ 1. That all male persons from sixteen years of age to sixty, (other than such as are herein after excepted), shall bear arms, and duly attend all musters and military exercises of the respective troops and companies where they are listed . . . § 5 That every listed solider and other householder (except troopers) shall be always provided with a well fixed firelock musket, or musket or bastard musket bore . . .

Further it is Enacted by the authority aforesaid, That every Justice of the Peace in the County where the Offence is committed , may cause to be staid and arrested all Affrayers, Rioters, Disturbers, or Breakers of the Peace, and such as shall ride or go armed Offensively before any of their Majesties Justices, or other Their Officers or Ministers doing their Office or elsewhere.

[An Act Concerning Slaves, Etc. Whereas complaint is made by the inhabitants of this Province, that they are greatly injured by slaves having liberty to carry guns and dogs into the woods and plantations, under the pretense of gunning, do kill swine. Be it enacted by the Governor, Council and Deputies in General Assembly met and assembled and by the authority of the same] that no slave or slaves within this Province after publication hereof, be permitted to carry any gun or pistol, or take any dog with him or them into the woods, or plantations, upon any pretense whatsoever: …

[Acts of the Province of Massachusetts Bay] (1697) § 3. That no person or persons whatsoever, in any town or garrison, shall presume to discharge or shoot off any gun or guns after the shutting in of the daylight in the evening, or before daylight in the morning, unless in case of alarm, approach of the enemy, or other necessary defense, on pain that every person so offending, and being thereof convicted before one or more of his majestie’s justices of the peace, shall forfeit and pay the sum of ten shillings, one moiety thereof to and for the use …

Province Laws. An Act for Putting the Milita of this Province into a Readiness for Defense of the Same. § 3. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that no person or persons whatsoever in any town or garrison, shall during the time of war, or of keeping a military watch in such town or garrison, presume to discharge or shoot off any gun or guns after the sun’s setting or before the sun’s rising, unless in case of alarm, approach of an enemy, or other necessary defense, on pain that every person, so offending, and being thereof convicted …

Pennsylvania Archives 1713, The Act for the Better Government of the City of Philadelphia (1713), This Act inflicts 5s penalty on persons riding a gallop and 10s for persons trotting, with Drays or their Teams in the streets, and 5th for suffering a Dog or a Bitch going at large; or firing a Gun without license, or if a Negro be found in any disorderly practices or other Misbehaviors may be whipped 21 lashes for any one offence or committed to prison, which words “other misbehaviors,” are very uncertain and give very arbitrary power where the punishment is great. [(Summary …

That no person or persons, from and after the publication of this Act, may presume to discharge or fire off any gun upon Boston Neck within ten rods of the road or highway leading over the same, on pain of forfeiting and paying the sum of twenty shillings . . . And for the better conviction of persons offending against this Act, it shall be lawful, to and for any Free-holder, to arrest and take into custody any gun so fired off, and render the same to one of the next Justices in Boston, in order to its being produced …

It is ordered by the Authority of this Court; That if any person or persons in this Colony, without just and necessary occasion to do so, shall cause any Alarm, by firing any Gun or Guns, or otherwise, in any of our Plantations, at any time between the shutting in the Evening or break of the Day, (such practices being prejudicial to the comfort and safety of the Plantations) the person or persons that are discovered, and convicted to be guilty herein, shall pay five pounds a piece to the publick [sic] Treasury, or suffer two months Imprisonment, or other …

It shall not be lawful for any person to discharge any gun, pistol, or fire arms of any description whatever, on, or across any public square, street, or alley, in any city or town in this state; Provided this act shall not be so construed as to apply to the “outer town,” or suburbs, of any city or town.

And, to prevent the abusing, hurting or worrying of any stock of hogs, cattle or horses, with dogs, or otherwise, Be It Enacted, That if any person or persons whatsoever, that have been convicted of any of the crimes aforesaid, or other crimes, or that shall be of evil fame, or a vagrant, or dissolute liver, that shall shoot, kill or hunt, or be seen to carry a gun, upon any person’s land, whereon there shall be a seated plantation, without the owner’s leave, having been once before warned, shall forfeit and pay one thousand pounds of tobacco…

That no negro or other slave within this province shall be permitted to carry any gun, or any other offensive weapon, from off their master’s land, without licence from their said master; and if any negro or other slave shall presume so to do, he shall be liable to be carried before a justice of peace, and be whipped, and his gun or other offensive weapon shall be forfeited to him that shall seize the same and carry such negro so offending before a justice of peace.

…That, from and after the publication hereof, any person within the town of Boston, that shall presume to keep, in his house or Warehouse, any powder, above what is by law allowed, shall forfeit and pay, for every half-barrel, the sum of five pounds . . . That any person or persons whosoever, that shall throw any squibs, serpents, or rockets, or perform any other fireworks within the streets, . . (shall be fined).

…That if any person or persons shall, at any time after two months from the publication of this act, make use of any boat, canoe, float, raft or other vessel, wherewith to approach to, and shoot at any waterfowl, in any part of this province, he or they so offending, shall each of them forfeit and pay, for every such offence, the sum of forty shillings to the informer. And every such offender shall be, and hereby is prohibited and restrained from using a gun to shoot at waterfowl for the space of three years next after his offence, upon …

And every such offender shall be, and hereby is prohibited and restrained from using a gun to shoot at waterfowl for the space of three years next after his offence, upon the like penalty of forty shillings for each time he shall presume so to offend, to be disposed of in manner as the forfeiture aforementioned.

… That whoever … fight a duel, combat, or engage in a rencounter with rapier, or small-sword, back-sword, pistol, or any other dangerous weapon, to the danger of life, mayhem, or wounding of the parties, or the affray of his Majesty’s good subjects, (although death doth not thereby ensue) and be thereof convicted, by due course of law, before the Court of Assize, or Court of General Sessions of the Peace, in the respective Counties of this Province, shall be punished by fine, not exceeding a hundred pounds, imprisonment, not exceeding six months, or corporally punished…

… That, from and after the publication of this Act, no gunpowder shall be kept on board any ship, or other vessel, lying to or grounded at any wharf within the port of Boston. And if any gunpowder shall be found on board such ship or vessel lying aground, as aforesaid, such powder shall be liable to confiscation, and under the same penalty, as if it were found lying in any house or warehouse. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that no powder be carried through any town upon trucks, under the penalty of ten shillings per …

Be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any person or persons shall presume, at any time after the sixteenth day of November, in this present year on thousand seven hundred and twenty one, to carry any gun or hunt on the improved or inclosed lands of any plantation other than his own, unless he have license or permission from the owner of such lands or plantation, and shall thereof convicted ether upon view of any justice of the peace within this province, or by the oath or affirmation of any one or more witnesses, before any justice of …

[An Act of 9th of February, 1750-51, § 1. If any person or persons whatsoever, within any county, town or within any other town or borough in this province, already built and settled, or hereafter to be built and settled , not hitherto restricted nor provided for by our laws, shall set on fire their chimneys to cleanse them, or shall suffer them or any of them to take fire, and blaze out at the top, or shall fire any gun or other fire arm, or shall make or cause to be made, or sell or utter, or offer to …

[E]very free, able bodied, white male citizen of this state, resident therein, who is, or shall be of the age of sixteen years and under forty years of age, under such exceptions as are made in said act, shall be enrolled in the militia, and shall in all other respects be considered as liable to do the duties of the militia in the same way and manner, as those of the age of eighteen years and upwards . . .

[An Act for Preventing Accidents that may Happen by Fire, § IV. And whereas much mischief may happen by shooting of guns, throwing casting and firing of squibs, serpents, rockets, and other fire-works, within the city of Philadelphia, if not speedily prevented: Be it therefore enacted, That if any person or persons, of what sex, age, degree or quality soever, from and after publication hereof, shall fire any gun or other fire-arms, or shall make, or cause to be made, or sell or utter, or offer to expose to sale, any squibs, rockets or other fire works, or shall cast, …

I. WHEREAS several ill-designing and disorderly persons have of late associated themselves under the name of Blacks, and entered into confederacies to support and assist one another in stealing and destroying of deer, robbing of warrens and fish-ponds, cutting down plantations of trees, and other illegal practices, and have, in great numbers, armed with swords, fire-arms, and other offensive weapons, several of them with their faces blacked, or in disguised habits, unlawfully hunted in forests belonging to his Majesty, and in the parks of divers of his Majesty’s subjects, and destroyed, killed and carried away the deer, robbed warrens, rivers …

. . . [N]o Persons or Persons within this Colony, shall be Allowed or Admitted to Prosecute before any Assistant or Justice of the Peace or Court of Judicature in this Colony, any Action of Debt, Detinue, or other Action whatsoever for any Gun or Guns, or Ammunition, Lent, Sold, or any ways Trusted to any Indian or Indians whatsoever, till this Court shall see cause to Order otherwise; and that every such Gun Lent as aforesaid, shall be forfeited; One half to him that shall Prosecute to Effect, the other to the County Treasury where such prosecution is.

No person whatever within the precincts of the city of Philadelphia aforesaid, nor within Two Miles thereof, shall, from and after the Time the Powder Store aforesaid is so erected and finished presume to keep in any House, Shop, Cellar, Store, or Place of the said City, nor within Two Miles thereof, other than the Powder Store aforesaid, any more or greater Quantity, at any one Time, than Twelve Pounds of Gun-powder, under the Penalty of Ten Pounds for every such Offence.

…That whoever from and after the publication of this Act shall be so hardy and wicked as to fight a duel, or for private malice, displeasure, fury or revenge, voluntarily engage in a rencounter, with rapier or small-sword, backsword, pistol or any other dangerous weapon, to the hazard of life, mayhem, or wounding of the parties, or the affray of his Majesty’s good subjects, although death doth not thereby ensue; or shall by word, message, or any other way, challenge another to fight a duel, or shall accept a challenge, although no duel be fought, or shall any ways abet, …