A Firearms History Timeline
by Larry Arnold
This is a timeline of events related to the development and use of firearms.

Date Event
1200The 13th Century.
1200sGunpowder (black powder) is reputed to be invented by the Chinese.
1214-1292Roger Bacon. An early English experimenter with black powder.
1240The Battle of Ain Jalut, first recorded use of cannon.
1248Roger Bacon describes the composition of black powder.
1300The 14th Century.
1346Gunpowder manufactured in the Tower of London.
1400The 15th Century.
1430The culverin, a two-man hand-held cannon, fielded by the French.
1440sThe Janissary corps of the Ottoman army were using matchlock arms.
1500The 16th Century.
1500sThe Damascus barrel developed in the Near East.
Circa 1500The button lock was the first improvement on the match lock, and the first "trigger."
Late 1500sSpring air guns were invented.
1503Spain uses the "pike and shot" formation in the Battle of Cerignola, the first battle won by gunpowder-based small arms.
Circa 1517The wheellock was invented in Nuremburg.
1526Fabbrica D'Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A is formed in Italy. Oldest continuously operating manufacturer in the world.
Circa 1580The Snaphaunce flintlocks were developed.
1600The 17th Century.
Early 1600sPneumatic air guns introduced.
1600sThe blunderbus was introduced.
Circa 1600The dog lock, which featured a safety to secure the half cock position, was developed.
1639Rhode Island colony passed law limiting deer season.
1700The 18th Century.
1750Contriner of Vienna designed a 15 shot compressed air gun.
1750The first Kentucky rifles were manufactured on the American frontier.
1758-1836Ezekiel Baker. English gunsmith who produced the Baker rifle.
1760sThe "Brown Bess" British musket was standardized.
1761-1883Nicholas Noel Boutet. A famous French gunsmith known for his artistic decoration of firearms.
1763Eli Whitney founded the Whitney Arms Company, which applied mass production techniques to rifle manufacture.
1775John Wilkinson builds the first true boring machine, making bored rifle barrels possible.
1775Committees of Safety began providing arms to American patriots.
4-19-1775British Redcoats and Minutemen at Concord, Massachusetts fire the "shot heard 'round the world."
9-9-1776The first rifles were issued with the mark "U.S."
1777Springfield Armory founded as the first U.S. federal armory to manufacture firearms.
Circa 1779Girandoni air rifle invented. First repeating rifle in military service, first tubular magazine.
1780-1815Girandoni air rifle in service with the Austrian Army, the first repeating rifle in military service
1786-1868Henry Deringer, Jr. He developed the short-barreled, powerful pistol which became the "Derringer." Note the shift in spelling.
12-15-1791The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution adopted to protect the right to keep and bear arms.
5-2-1792The First Militia Act gave the U.S. President authority to call on the states' militias.
5-8-1792The Second Militia Act provided for organizing state militias.
1800The 19th Century.
c1800-1893Hiram Berdan. Army officer and arms maker who invented the Berdan primer and perfected a method of drawing brass to make the first centerfire cartridge.
1802The Baker flintlock rifle introduced in England.
1804-1806The Lewis and Clark Expedition armed with a Girandoni air rifle surveyed the continent west of the U.S.
1804-1806The Lewis and Clark Expedition armed with a Girandoni air rifle surveyed the continent west of the U.S.
1805-1879Jonathan Browning, an American gunmaker and father of John Moses Browning.
1808-1871Ethan Allen. A gunmaker, he was famous for pepperbox pistols. (Not the Revolutionary War Allen)
1809-1870Robert Adams. The English gunmakers 5 shot self cocking revolver competed with the more famous Colt.
1811-1873Horace E. Dimick. American gunmaker noted for guns used in the Old West.
1811The Hall rifle was patented. It is considered the first successful breechloader.
1813Joseph G. Chambers patented the Chambers system, which allowed several cartridges to be loaded in a firearm so that the ignition of one set off the next, an early "automatic."
1814-1862Samuel Colt. American firearm designer and manufacturer best known for the Colt revolver.
1816Eliphalet Remington, Jr. made his first rifle; the beginning of the Remington Arms Company.
1819-1894Alexander Henry. He invented the rifling system for the Martini-Henry Rifle.
1822The percussion cap was patented in the U.S.
1823-1898Edward M. Boxer. In the 1860s invented the Boxer primer.
1823-1894James Henry Burton. American gunmaker best known for perfecting the Minie ball.
1831The first Colt revolvers were manufactured.
1833-1905Antoine Alphonse Chassepot. French gunmaker known for inventing the Chassepot needle gun.
1834Slide-action repeater produced by Jonathan Browning in Quincy, Illinois.
1835Samuel Colt patented the Colt revolver in England, the first revolver with the cylinder revolved and locked by cocking the hammer.
1836Samuel Colt patented the Colt revolver in the U.S.
1837George Elgin patented the Elgin cutlass pistol.
1838Epentus A. Bennett and Frederick Haviland patent their breechloading rifle.
1838-1914Peter Paul Mauser. Invented the Mauser action.
1838Frederick Haviland and Epentus A. Bennett patent their breechloading rifle.
1840The Prussian Army adopted the Dreyse needle gun.
1848-1904Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher, Austrian engineer and small armaments designer, particularly noted for inventing the en-bloc clip charger-loading magazine system
1851Dr. Edward Maynard introduced a cartridge consisting of a brass tube with powder and bullet. The tube had a hole in the side where the powder was ignited.
1851Christian Sharps founded the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company.
1852Jonathan Browning, father of John Moses Browning, established his gunsmihing shop in Ogden Utah.
1852Christian Sharps invented the disk primer.
1853The Royal Enfield Manufactury of Great Britain began production of Enfield rifles and carbines.
1854Daniel Baird Wesson and Horace Smith manufacture the Volcanic Action Repeating Pistol, the first practical pistol with self-contained ammunition.
1854Daniel Baird Wesson and Horace Smith manufacture the Volcanic Action Repeating Pistol, the first practical pistol with self-contained ammunition.
1855Sir Henry Bessimer invented Bessimer steel.
1855Rollin White patented a revolver with chambers bored end-to-end through the cylinder. The design led to the Smith & Wesson cartridge revolver.
1855-1926John Moses Browning. He was the inventor of more successful firearms than any other American, including the Browning Automatic Rifle and the Browning machine-gun.
1856Ambrose Everett Burnside invented the Burnside breechloading percussion rifle.
1856The LeMat, a Civil War Confederate revolver with a shotgun barrel, patented by Jean Alexander Francois LeMat.
1859Smith & Wesson produced the first complete rimfire cartridge.
1860-1926Annie Oakley Butler. A famous rifle shot who appeared in the U.S. and Europe with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show.
1860Oliver F. Winchester started the New Haven Arms Company, which later became the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. At one time it was the biggest arms manufacturer in the world.
1860B. Tyler Henry patented the .44 Henry Rifle.
1861Hiram Berdan became Colonel of the 1st United States Sharpshooters.
1861C.H. Ballard patented the breechloading Ballard rifle.
1865U.S. military issues the U.S. Rifle Model 1865 using the cam lock designed by E.S. Allen.
1866The French Army adopted the Chassepot rifle, a breech loading, bolt action needle gun.
1868Air hardened steel developed by Robert F. Mushet.
1868Charles Parker manufactured the first Parker shotguns.
1869Marcellus Hartley and Col. Henry Berdan developed the first centerfire cartridge.
1869Col. Henry Berdan and Marcellus Hartley developed the first centerfire cartridge.
1869John Wesley Hyatt patented a nitrocellulose plastic,"Celluloid."
1870J.M. Marlin founded Marlin Firearms Company in New Haven Connecticut.
1871The Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works was founded in Worcester, Massachusetts.
1871The Colt House Pistol was the first revolver designed for cartridges.
11-17-1871The National Rifle Association was chartered in New York.
1872Anson forend, used to fasten double barrel shotgun barrels, developed by William Anson.
1873-1940The Colt Single Action Army revolver, also known as the "Peacemaker" was in initial production. It has since been reintroduced to the Colt line.
4-25-1873First shots fired at the NRA's first shooting range at Creedmoor, New York.
6-21-1873First NRA shooting match held at Creedmoor.
1874Harrington & Richardson, Inc. established by Gilbert Harrington and William Richardson.
1874Harrington & Richardson, Inc. established by Gilbert Harrington and William Richardson.
3-27-1876United States v. Cruikshank decided, ruling that the Second Amendment "has no other effect than to restrict the powers of the national government."
1877The Colt Lightning was the first practical double action revolver.
10-7-1879John Browning patented his first firearm, a single-shot falling-block rifle.
1880Clay pigeon targets patented in the U.S. by George Likowsky.
1885Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher designs the M1885, the first successful semiauto
1885Ferdinand Mannlicher developed the en-bloc clip charger-loading magazine system
1886Joshua Stevens incorporated the J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company.
1-4-1886Presser v. Illinois decided, reaffirming the Cruikshank decision that the Second Amendment acts as a limitation upon only the federal government.
1887The Model 1887 lever action, the first truly successful repeating shotgun, designed by John Browning for Winchester Arms,
1887Swedish defence adopted Nagants 7.5 mm black powder Revolver.
1889Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre established in 1889 in Herstal, Belgium
1890The French military adopted the Berthier bolt action rifle.
1890Hugo Borchardt, an American inventor, developed a successful self-loading pistol with a toggle bolt, the forerunner of the Luger.
1891The Italian Army adopted the Mannlicher-Carcano, the first Italian smokeless powder rifle.
9-1-1891Last NRA shooting match held at Creedmoor.
9-5-1892First NRA shooting match held at Sea Girt Range, New Jersey.
1893Theodore Bergmann, a German inventor, patented an automatic pistol.
1894Swedish cavalry adopted Mauser 1894 small ring carbine in 6.5x55mm.
1894Arthur W. Savage incorporated the Savage Arms Company.
1894John Browning designed the Model 1894 lever action rifle for Winchester. More have been produced than any centerfire sporting rifle in history.
1895.30 W.C.F. (.30-30 Winchester, first sporting cartridge designed expressly for smokeless powder.
1895Enfield rifling adopted for the British .303 Lee-Enfield rifle.
1895The Interstate Association formed to regulate trap shooting. Became the American Trapshooting Association.
1895The Colt-Browning M1895, (Potato digger) machine gun by John Browning, was one of the first successful gas operated machine guns.
1895North Dakota required hunters to buy licenses.
1896Swedish defence adopted Mauser 1894 small ring rifle in 6.5x55.
1897The Model 1897, the first truly successful pump shotgun, designed by John Browning for Winchester Arms,
1898The Browning Automatic 5, designed by John Browning, was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun.
1900The 20th Century.
1900Congress passed law prohibiting shipping wild game across state lines.
6-12-1900The first trap throwing of clay pigeons took place in New York.
1902The 1902 Colt Military Automatic Pistol was used by the U.S. Navy while waiting for the Model 1911.
1903The Springfield Rifle, Model 1903, adopted by the U.S. military.
1904Theodore Roosevelt made the biological survey a bureau.
1906U.S. military adopts .30-06 cartridge for use in M1903 Springfield rifle.
8-27-1906First NRA Junior matches held at Sea Girt Range.
9-5-1906Mrs. Elizabeth Topperwein becomes the first woman to enter an official NRA shooting match, and received a National Marksmans Reserve medal.
9-5-1906Last NRA national matches held at Sea Girt.
1907J. Browning pistol Model 1903 adopted by Swedish defence in 9mm long.
8-19-1907First NRA national matches held at Camp Perry, Ohio.
1908The .32 caliber Austrian Scharzlose was introduced. It is the only commercially produced blow forward action.
1908The first organized trapshooting tournaments were held.
1911The Model 1911 in .45 ACP, designed by John Browning, adopted by the U.S. military.
1917The U.S. Rifle, Model 1917, or American Enfield, produced as a modification of the British rifle to allow use of American ammunition.
1918The Browning Automatic Rifle, designed by John Browning, adopted by the U.S. military.
1919American Ordinance Association founded.
1921The Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun, (Ma Deuce), designed by John Browning, entered U.S. military service. It remains in service, the longest serving firearm iin history.
1921The Colt .45 automatic was modified and became the Model 1911 A1.
1923New Hampshire Concealed Carry law passes.
Apr. 1925The comparison microscope was first used in firearms identification.
1928Seth Gordon wrote the Code of Outdoor Ethics for the Isaac Walton League.
1929Production rights for the Cutts compensator were bought by the Lyman Gun Sight Company from the inventor, Col. Richard M. Cutts.
1929Migratory Bird Conservation Act passed.
1929John C. Garand developed the M-1 semiautomatic rifle.
1930First known release of exotics, nilgai antelope, in Texas.
1933Western Cartridge Company manufactured ball powder, which is less erosive on barrels.
1933Aldo Leopold became the first professor of game management.
1934Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act passed.
1934The Beretta 9mm became the official handgun of the Italian military.
6-26-1934National Firearms Act regulated machineguns, silencers, and short-barreled rifles and shotguns.
1935Lathis pistol was adopted by the Finish army and mfg at Valmeth.
1936Alabama Concealed Carry law passes.
1936U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formed.
1936The Enfield revolver adopted as the official pistol of the British Army.
1-9-1936US Military adopts self-loading M-1 Rifle, designed by John C. Garand at Springfield Armory.
1937Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid Restoration Act passed to provide funds for wildlife management by taxing firearms and ammunition.
1939Walter P.38 adopted by Swedish army.
5-15-1939United States v. Miller decided upholding the National Firearms Act, ruling that a short-barrelled shotgun is not a militia weapon.
1940Lathis pistol was adopted by the Swedish defence and manufacturing started in Husqvarna factories.
1940Swedish army adopted Mauser 1898 in 8x63mm.
1942Swedish army adopted Ljungman automatic rifle in 6.5x55.
1945Russian Military adopts Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov's SKS rifle as the SKS-45.
1946American Single Shot Rifle Association founded.
1946Hunter Education started in a Kentucky statewide youth program.
1947Russian military adopts the AK-47.
1948NRA began providing a temporary supply of hunter safety instructors.
1949New York starts first mandatory hunter safety program.
1950Dingell-Johnson Act passed to produce funds for fisheries management.
1954California hunter education program became mandatory.
1955The first replica black powder firearms were manufactured by Turner Kirkland of Dixie Gun Works.
1955Arizona hunter education program became mandatory.
1956Rhode Island hunter education program became mandatory.
1956South Dakota hunter education program became mandatory.
Mar. 1956The Army Marksmanship Unit was formed.
1957Connecticut hunter education program became mandatory.
1957Washington hunter education program became mandatory.
1958Montana hunter education program became mandatory.
1958Navy Arms Company founded to manufacture replica arms. The first to use stainless steel in replicas.
1959The first M-16 Rifles were delivered to the U.S. Army.
1961Washington Concealed Carry law passes.
1962Oregon hunter education program became mandatory.
1963New Hampshire hunter education program became mandatory.
1966Endangered Species Act passed.
6-23-1966Holless Wilbur Allen, Jr. applies for patent on the compound bow
1-29-1968Haynes v. United States decided, ruling that the Fifth Amendment exempts felons and other prohibited possessors from any U.S. gun registration scheme.
6-19-1968Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act prohibited interstate trade in handguns and increased the minimum age to 21 for buying handguns.
10-22-1968Gun Control Act of 1968 signed into law, requiring serial numbers, limiting interstate firearm sales, denying ownership by felons and others, and limiting importation of "non-sporting" guns.
10-22-1968Gun Control Act of 1968 signed into law, requiring serial numbers, limiting interstate firearm sales, denying ownership by felons and others, and limiting importation of "non-sporting" guns.
1969Connecticut Handgun Review Board created to control arbitrary concealed carry denials.
1969National Environmental Protection Act passed.
1969Pennsylvania hunter education program became mandatory.
1970Environmental Protection Agency founded.
1970Colorado hunter education program became mandatory.
1970Delaware hunter education program became mandatory.
197010% tax on handguns was added to Pittman-Robertson funding.
5-4-1970Four students were killed and nine wounded by National Guard troops called in to quell anti-war protests
5-14-1970At Jackson State College, Jackson City Police and Mississippi Highway Patrol officers opened fire on a group of somewhat violent student protesters, killing two students and injuring twelve.
1971Michigan hunter education program became mandatory.
1971Connecticut Valley Arms manufactures a replica black powder firearm.
1972New Jersey hunter education program became mandatory.
1972New Mexico hunter education program became mandatory.
197211% tax on archery equipment added to Pittman-Robertson funding.
1973Kansas hunter education program became mandatory.
1973Nevada hunter education program became mandatory.
1975Vermont hunter education program became mandatory.
1976Remington introduced the Accelerator cartridge, using a sabot to shoot a small caliber high-velocity bullet.
1976Georgia passes concealed carry law that becomes the model for Florida.
1976Illinois hunter education program became mandatory.
1976Nebraska hunter education program became mandatory.
1977Maryland hunter education program became mandatory.
1978Georgia hunter education program became mandatory.
1979North Dakota hunter education program became mandatory.
1979Ohio hunter education program became mandatory.
1979Wyoming hunter education program became mandatory.
1980Indiana Concealed Carry law passes.
1980Idaho hunter education program became mandatory.
1983Iowa hunter education program became mandatory.
Fall 1984American Shooting Coaches Association formed; became the International Shooting Coaches Association.
1984Mississippi hunter education program became mandatory.
1984The first Olympic 10K biathlon and 30K relay biathlon.
1985Maine concealed Carry law passes.
1985North Dakota Concealed Carry law passes.
1985Arkansas hunter education program became mandatory.
1985Louisiana hunter education program became mandatory.
1985Tennessee hunter education program became mandatory.
1985Wisconsin hunter education program became mandatory.
1986South Dakota Concealed Carry law passes.
1986Maine hunter education program became mandatory.
5-19-1986Firearm Owners Protection Act passed, providing for "safe passage" through gun control jurisdictions and prohibiting national gun registration.
1987Florida Concealed Carry law becomes effective.
1988Missouri hunter education program became mandatory.
1988Oklahoma hunter education program became mandatory.
1988Texas hunter education program became mandatory.
1988Virginia hunter education program became mandatory.
1989Oregon Concealed Carry law passes.
1989Pennsylvania Concealed Carry law passes (except for Philadelphia).
1989West Virginia Concealed Carry law passes.
1990The .40 S&W cartridge introduced.
1990Idaho Concealed Carry law passes.
1990Mississippi Concealed Carry law passes.
1990Hawaii hunter education program became mandatory.
11-29-1990The Gun-Free School Zones Act enacted, using the Commerce Clause to ban guns in and around schools. Later found unconstitutional.
1991Montana Concealed Carry law passes.
1991Florida hunter education program became mandatory.
1991Kentucky hunter education program became mandatory.
1991North Carolina hunter education program became mandatory.
11-30-1993President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act creating a U.S. national background check system for firearms.
1994Alaska Concealed Carry law passes.
1994Arizona Concealed Carry law passes.
1994Tennessee Concealed Carry law passes.
1994Wyoming Concealed Carry law passes.
2-28-1994The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act went into effect, creating a U.S. national background check system for firearms, and instituting a 5-day waiting period on handguns.
9-13-1994The Federal Assault Weapons Ban passed, creating a definition of "assault weapon," banning new sales for 10 years, and limiting magazines to 10 rounds.
1995Arkansas Concealed Carry law passes.
1995North Carolina Concealed Carry law passes.
1995Nevada Concealed Carry law passes.
1995Oklahoma Concealed Carry law passes.
1995Philidelphia brought under Pennsylvania Concealed Carry law.
1995Utah Concealed Carry law passes.
1995Virginia Concealed Carry law passes.
4-26-1995United States v. Lopez decided, holding that the Gun-Free School Zones Act was unconstitutional.
9-1-1995Texas begins CHL training.
1996Kentucky Concealed Carry law passes.
1996Louisiana Concealed Carry law passes.
1996South Carolina Concealed Carry law passes.
1-1-1996Texas Concealed Carry law becomes effective.
1996West Virginia Concealed Carry law passes again, having been struck down by the state Supreme Court.
9-30-1997Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban (Lautenberg Amendment) went into effect, prohibiting firearms possession by persons convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors or under protective orders.
6-27-1997Printz v. United States was decided, ruling that the Brady Law requirement for local law enforcement to run background checks for gun purchases was unconstitutional.
11-30-1998The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act 5-day waiting period on handguns expired as the National Instant Check System came online.
2000The 21st Century.
1-1-2000California handgun testing law went into effect
7-1-2001Michigan concealed carry law becomes effective.
5-17-2002Colorado concealed carry law becomes effective.
2003Minnesota concealed carry law passed.
6-11-2003Alaska no-license carry passed.
10-11-2003Missouri concealed carry law becomes effective.
11-26-2003New Mexico concealed carry law becomes effective.
2004Ohio concealed carry law passed.
9-13-2004The Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired.
2006Iowa concealed carry law passed.
4-5-2006Nebraska concealed carry law passed.
1-1-2007Kansas concealed carry law becomes effective.
May, 2007Chris Brown starts Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.
3-18-2008Oral arguments before the Supreme Court in Heller v. D.C.
6-27-2008Supreme Court defines Second Amendment as an individual right in Heller v. D.C.
5-22-2009Congress passed law allowing firearms in U.S. National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges, as permitted by state laws.
12-16-2009Congress passed law requiring Amtrak to allow firearms to be checked in baggage.
2-22-2010Firearms allowed in U.S. National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges, as permitted by state laws.
3-2-2010Oral arguments before the Supreme Court in McDonald v. Chicago.
6-28-2010Supreme Court incorporates Second Amendment against the states in McDonald v. Chicago.
7-29-2010Arizona no-license carry in effect.
12-15-2010Wicker Amendment allows Amtrak passengers to check their firearms.
7-1-2011Wyoming no-license carry in effect.
11-1-2011Wisconsin shall-issue concealed carry law in effect.
7-9-2013Illinois overrode their governor's veto to pass a shall-issue concealed carry bill, becoming the last state to have concealed carry.