The Mayor and Common Council of Annapolis, Maryland declared a by-law to prevent the firing of firearms and openly carrying them with in the city. Violators were to be fined $5.00 for firing a gun, a hefty fine in those days, and $1.00 for openly carrying one.
However, if an offender was a slave, lashes or ten days imprisonment was ordered. Slaves actually were commonly entrusted with firearms both for hunting purposes, thereby offsetting part of the costs of holding and keeping them or to keep them in good repair.
This item is interesting for numerous reasons. One is, contrary to what people like to believe, the banning of openly carrying firearms was common throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries, and into the 20th. Concealed firearms, however, tended to be a different matter. Secondly, for much of the 18th Century, and into the 19th Century, armed slaves were not uncommon, which sounds odd, but they had little chance for escape, firearms were a common tool, and it demonstrated how cheap slaveholders could be, in that slaves often had to provide part of their own sustenance.
Related threads:
Perceptions on being armed, and the use of force.
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