Sunday, April 21, 2013

Somethings never change: An Act to restrain the use of Fire-Arms in the city of Washington - March 1813


AN ACT

To restrain the use of Fire-Arms in the city of Washington.

               Sec. 1.  Be it enacted by the Board of Aldermen and Board of Common Council of the City of Washington, That from and after the passage of this act, if any person shall fire or shoot a gun, pistol or other fire arms, idly for sport or amusement within two hundred and fifty yards of any dwelling house , in that part of this city contained within north M street, Massachusetts avenue, Seventh street east, Pennsylvania Avenue, the Eastern Branch, Sixth street west, Virginia avenue and Rock Creek; or in any part of the city on the sabbath, the persaon so firing or shooting, shall forfeit and pay a fine not exceeding ten dollars, nor less than five dollars, at the discretion of any justice of the peace resident within this city; one-half whereof shall be for the use of the city, and the other half shall be paid to the informer, or to the trustees of the poor of this corporation, in the case the informer declines accepting the same:  Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to affect any officer of this corporation for firing or shooting as aforeaid, in the execution of his duty, or the militia or troops of the United States for discharging their fire arms on days of mustering, training or rejoicing, when ordered so to shoot or fire by their commnading officer; or any person shooting or firing as aforesaid in the performance of any philosphical experiment or theatrical amusement, for the exhibition of which a licence shall have been previously obtained.  And provided, That nothing in this act contained, shall be construed to prohibit any person from shooting at water fowls in the Eastern Branch, Potomac river or Tyber creek, although such person may be within the limits herein prescribed.

               Sec. 2.  And be it enacted, That if any minor, or apprentice or slave, shall be convicted of violating the provisions of this act, the parent or guardian of such minor, the master or mistress of such apprentice, or the owner or holder of such slave, as the case may be, shall forfeit and pay, as aforesaid, the fine or fines incurred by such minor, apprentice, or slave.

               Sec. 3.  And be it enacted, That the fourth section of an act, entitled "An act to suppress horse running and shooting in certain cases in the city of Washington," passed the ninth day of December, eighteen hundred and nine, be, and the same is hereby repealed.

TOPPAN WEBSTER, President
pro tempore, of the Board of Common Council

JAMES HOBAN, President
pro tem. of the Board of Aldermen.

Approved, March 30th, 1813.
DANl. RAPINE[1]


[1] Daily National Intelligencer; Date: 04-21-1813; Volume: I; Issue: 95; Page: [2]; Location: Washington (DC), District of Columbia.
Transcribed by John Peter Thompson, April 21st, 2013.

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