Gun Control

By TKennedy

  • The SecondAmendment

    The Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution is ratified. The SecondAmendment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

  • National Rife Association (NRA) founded

    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."

  • War Revenue Act

    The War Revenue Act is enacted to impose a manufacturer's tax on firearms and ammunition.

  • Ban on shipment of firearms

    President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill that bans the shipment of firearms through the mail, unless the shipment is properly authorized.

  • National Firearms Act

    Congress passes the National Firearms Act in response to the violent gangster culture of the Prohibition era. The law taxes the manufacture, sale, and transfer of fully automatic firearms, including machine guns and sawed-off shotguns and requires FBI background checks for the purchasers of these weapons.

  • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is formed

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is formed as a separate law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice.

  • National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH) is formed

    Dr. Mark Borinsky, a victim of gun violence, establishes the National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH).

  • The Gun-Free School Zones Act

    The Gun-Free School Zones Act, enacted as section 1702 of the Crime Control Act, makes it a crime to possess or discharge a firearm within 1000 feet of a school.

  • The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act

    The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994bans the sale, manufacture, importation and possession of specific types of assault weapons for civilian use.

  • National Instant Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act

    President George W. Bush signs the National Instant Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to keep guns out of the hands of people with a history of dangerous mental illness. This measure was enacted in reaction to the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech massacre by Cho Seung-Hui. His name had not been entered into the background-check system after he was determined by a judge to be a danger to himself.