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Bill of Rights
The right to bear arms becomes a personal right. -
Black Codes
Several southern states pass "black codes" to control newly-emancipated slaves. Some prohibit black people from possessing firearms. -
NRA
Union Army officers Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate found the National Rifle Association (NRA) to "promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis." -
License for Purchase
New York Governor John A. Dix signs the Sullivan Law. This statute requires licenses for the purchase of a concealed weapon and for the possession of the weapon -
No guns to Felons
The Federal Firearms Act requires gun sellers to obtain a Federal Firearms License and to maintain records of the names and addresses of gun purchasers. Gun sales to convicted felons are prohibited -
Assinations Fuel Changes
The assassinations of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sen. Robert Kennedy fuel the passage of the Gun Control Act. The Act prohibits the direct mail order of firearms and ammunition, regulates imported guns, expands record-keeping requirements and prevents convicted felons, mentally ill people, illegal drug users and others from buying guns. -
Eases Restrictions, Bans Machine Guns, No 'cop killers'
The Firearms Owners' Protection Act eases some restrictions on gun and ammunition sales and allows people to buy rifles out of state. It also bans the manufacture, sale or ownership of machine guns.
• The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act makes it illegal to possess "cop killer" bullets capable of penetrating bulletproof clothing. -
Assault Weapons, Wal-Mart, and Stats
• The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
bans the sale, manufacture, importation and possession of specific types of assault weapons for civilian use.
-Wal-Mart stops selling handguns in its stores
• According to a Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, approximately 7 out of every 10 murders on school grounds between 1994 and 1999 involve the use of a firearm -
Media, Ads, BuyBack and Columbine
Motion Picture Association of America, tells studios to tone down the use of guns and other forms of violent imagery in movie advertising. • President Bill Clinton announces a program to buy back as many as 300,000 guns from citizens.
April 20: Teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill a teacher and a dozen students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. This tragedy fuels a new campaign on gun control. -
3 Shootings stir up media
Feb. 26: Florida teenager Trayvon Martin is shot and killed by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman. The shooting reignites the debate over Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law.July 20: At a midnight movie screening in Aurora, Colorado, James Holmes opens fire with an assault weapon killing twelve people and injuring 58. The shooting prompts calls for assault weapons bans.
Dec. 14: A gunman enters Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and fatally shoots 26 people