‘The Minute-Men of the Revolution’ · Currier & Ives, 1876 · Library of Congress
July 2026 · America's 250th Year
250 YEARSof guns in America
From colonial militias required by law to muster and drill, to an estimated 460 million privately owned firearms with no equivalent obligation. An educational archive of how America's relationship with guns evolved, and what it costs.
460M
Civilian firearms in the US
120
Guns per 100 Americans
~39%
Of the world's civilian guns
ATF Firearms Commerce Report, 2023 est. · SAS 2017 int'l comparison
Scroll
0M
civilian firearms in the US
ATF est. (2023) via The Trace
0
guns per 100 Americans
SAS 2017 international comparison
0%
of the world's civilian guns
4.2% of the world's population
0
gun deaths in 2023
Johns Hopkins, 2025
$0B
annual economic cost
Everytown / PIRE, 2022
0
mass shootings in 2025
Gun Violence Archive (4+ shot)
MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL · MORE GUNS THAN ADULTS · 460 MILLION CIVILIAN FIREARMS · 120 PER 100 AMERICANS · 39% OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL ·
01
By the Numbers
THE SCALE OF GUNS
in America
The United States has more privately owned civilian firearms than any other nation. By a dramatic margin.
“
These aren't just data points. They describe a country that has accumulated, through decades of law and policy, more guns per person than any nation on earth. And it pays for it in lives and dollars every single day.
Estimated US civilian firearms
DATA: 2023 est.
0M
approximately 460,000,000 firearms in civilian hands
More than twice as many guns as adultsin the United States. The country has 4.2% of the world's population and roughly 39% of its civilian firearms (based on 2017 global survey data).
Source: ATF 2024 Firearms Commerce Report (data through 2023); The Trace, updated June 2026. ~527 million firearms produced for the US civilian market since 1899; ~460 million estimated in civilian hands after accounting for losses, seizures, and destruction. The 2017 Small Arms Survey (393 million) remains the last comprehensive global comparative survey.
US population
335M
Guns per 100 people
120.5
More than any nation on earth
Gun deaths (2023)
DATA: 2023
0
Americans killed
Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions (2025)
Suicide
27,300
58% of gun deaths
Gun suicide hit a record high in 2023 for the third consecutive year.
Homicide
17,927
38% of gun deaths
Plus 500 unintentional deaths in 2023.
More Guns Than People
Each square below represents 5 million. The US has ~92 squares of guns, and only ~67 squares of people.
Civilian Firearms: ~460M
US Population: 335M
Fig. 1 · US civilian firearms (est. 460M, 2023) vs. total population (each square = 5 million units). Sources: ATF Firearms Commerce Report / The Trace (2026); US Census Bureau.
Guns Per 100 People: International Comparison
The US has more than twice as many guns per person as the #2 country in the world.
🇺🇸 United States
120.5
per 100 people
🇾🇪 Yemen
52.8
per 100 people
🇲🇪 Montenegro
39.1
per 100 people
🇷🇸 Serbia
39.1
per 100 people
🇨🇦 Canada
34.7
per 100 people
🇫🇮 Finland
27.5
per 100 people
🇩🇪 Germany
15.3
per 100 people
🇦🇺 Australia
13.7
per 100 people
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
5
per 100 people
Fig. 2 · Civilian firearms per 100 people by country. Source: Small Arms Survey, Civilian Firearms Numbers (2018; data year: 2017).
Gun Deaths Per 100,000 People: International Comparison
More guns tracks with more gun deaths. The US rate is 6× France, 14× Germany, 61× the UK.
🇺🇸 United States
12.21
per 100k people
🇫🇷 France
2.83
per 100k people
🇨🇦 Canada
2.08
per 100k people
🇩🇪 Germany
0.97
per 100k people
🇦🇺 Australia
0.89
per 100k people
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
0.2
per 100k people
🇯🇵 Japan
0.02
per 100k people
Fig. 3 · Firearm deaths per 100,000 people by country. Source: IHME Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (healthdata.org/gbd). Includes all firearm deaths (homicide, suicide, unintentional).
$557B
$557B
Annual economic cost of gun violence in America
Everytown / PIRE (2022)
02
Economic Impact
THE ECONOMIC COST
of gun violence
Gun violence carries a price tag that extends far beyond emergency rooms. The full cost covers medical care, lost productivity, criminal justice, and the incalculable toll on lives. Together they add up to an annual sum larger than most countries' entire government budgets.
“
Gun violence isn't only a public health crisis. It's a fiscal one. $557 billion every year rivals the entire federal education budget. A cost borne by taxpayers, hospitals, families, and survivors whether or not policymakers acknowledge it.
Annual economic cost of gun violence
DATA: 2020-22
$557B
$557,000,000,000 every year
Per minute
~$1M
$1,059,741
Per second
$17,662
every second
Estimated cost since you reached this section
$0
Based on $17,662/second ($557B ÷ 31,536,000 sec/year)
Divides the annual figure evenly across all seconds. Actual incidence is not uniform. This illustrates the scale of the ongoing burden.
What's Counted in $557 Billion
The Everytown/PIRE methodology accounts for the full spectrum of harm. Quality-of-life costs (pain, suffering, and diminished lives of survivors and families) are the largest component by far.
🏥
Medical & Emergency Response
Hospital and trauma care, ambulance, emergency police response at the time of injury
💊
Long-Term Health Care
Ongoing physical and mental health treatment, institutional care for survivors and families
📉
Lost Earnings & Productivity
Income lost due to disability or death, reduced economic output from victims and caregivers
⚖️
Criminal Justice System
Investigation, prosecution, incarceration, and supervision costs paid by taxpayers
💔
Quality-of-Life Costs
Pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life over a victim's lifetime — the largest component by far
Taxpayer burden: $12.6 billion of the $557B total is borne directly by government (medical, criminal justice, and emergency response). The remainder reflects private costs and quality-of-life losses carried by victims, families, and communities.
Source: Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund / Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE). “The Economic Cost of Gun Violence” (2022; data years 2020–2022). everytownresearch.org · Methodological Note
46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES · 46,728 GUN DEATHS IN 2023 · $557 BILLION EVERY YEAR · $1 MILLION EVERY MINUTE · MARCH FOR OUR LIVES ·
03
Historical Record
COLONIAL MILITIAS
to Today
Key legislative and legal milestones in 250 years of firearms in America. From mandatory militia service to today's individual right.
“
Every law and ruling below is still on the books or actively shapes what gun regulation is legally possible today. The past is the present.
Colonial Era
1775–1776
Militias as the Foundation of Defense
The Continental Congress called on colonies to organize and arm their militias. Militias were not voluntary clubs — they were civic obligations. Enrolled men were required to appear for musters and training, supply their own weapons and equipment, and serve under military discipline. The concept of an armed citizenry was inseparable from the obligation to train and serve.
"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." The Bill of Rights — including the Second Amendment — is ratified when Virginia becomes the tenth of fourteen states to approve it, reaching the three-fourths threshold required.
Congress passes the Militia Act, requiring every free able-bodied white male citizen aged 18–44 to enroll in the militia and, within six months, personally obtain and maintain: a musket or rifle, bayonet and belt, two spare flints, a cartridge box with 24 cartridges, and a knapsack — all at the owner's expense. Enrollment was mandatory; exemptions were narrow. This was federal gun regulation tied directly to civic military obligation.
Kentucky (1813) and Louisiana (1813) pass the first American concealed carry ban laws. Georgia (1837), Alabama (1839), Tennessee (1821 and 1837), Delaware (1852), and Ohio (1859) follow. By 1865–1900, at least 18 states had enacted carry licensing laws and at least 17 states required arms sellers to keep buyer records. Early American gun regulation was extensive, locally varied, and often stringent.
National Firearms Act: First Major Federal Gun Law
Congress passes the National Firearms Act in response to Prohibition-era gangland violence. Using its tax authority (an outright ban was considered unconstitutional), Congress imposes a prohibitive $200 tax ($4,800 in today's dollars) on the transfer of machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and silencers, and requires these weapons to be registered with the federal government. Handguns were originally included but removed after NRA lobbying.
After the assassinations of President Kennedy, Dr. King, and Senator Kennedy, Congress passes the GCA. It creates the Federal Firearms Licensing (FFL) system for dealers, establishes categories of prohibited purchasers (felons, fugitives, drug users, the involuntarily committed), sets minimum purchase ages (21 for handguns, 18 for long guns), requires serial numbers on all new firearms, and bans mail-order sales of rifles and shotguns — closing the loophole Oswald used to buy his rifle.
President Reagan signs FOPA, which rolls back several GCA provisions: limits ATF dealer inspections, allows gun show sales, and removes ammunition record-keeping requirements. Most consequentially, it bans civilian ownership of any machine gun manufactured after this date — freezing the civilian machine gun registry. FOPA also explicitly prohibits the federal government from ever creating a national firearms database, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3).
Congress bans the manufacture and sale to civilians of 19 specifically named semiautomatic firearms — including the Colt AR-15 and AK-47 variants — plus any semiautomatic rifle with two or more military-style features (folding stock, pistol grip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor), and ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. Weapons and magazines manufactured before the ban's effective date are grandfathered. A sunset clause makes the ban expire automatically in 10 years.
Assault Weapons Ban Expires — Congress Does Not Renew
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban sunsets precisely 10 years after enactment, as its architects wrote into the law. Congress takes no action to renew or replace it. Production of previously banned weapons and large-capacity magazines resumes immediately. Multiple studies had found the ban reduced the frequency of mass shootings while in effect.
President Bush signs the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), granting gun manufacturers and dealers broad immunity from civil lawsuits when their products are used in crimes. The law's passage followed a wave of municipal lawsuits against gun makers for negligent distribution. It remains one of the most sweeping liability shields granted to any industry in American law — and one of the core barriers to gun industry accountability. A narrow exception allows suits based on negligent entrustment or knowing violation of law; families of Sandy Hook victims used this exception in a landmark 2022 settlement.
In a 5–4 decision written by Justice Scalia, the Supreme Court holds for the first time that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms unconnected with militia service, and that the right extends to self-defense within the home. The Court strikes down D.C.'s near-total handgun ban. The majority also explicitly states the right is not unlimited: it does not protect possession by felons, the mentally ill, or carrying in sensitive places.
McDonald v. Chicago: Heller Extended to All States
The Supreme Court holds 5–4 that the Second Amendment right recognized in Heller applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, striking down Chicago's handgun ban. This makes the individual right to keep arms applicable nationwide, constraining state and local gun regulations.
A 20-year-old shooter kills 20 first-grade children, ages 6 and 7, and 6 adult staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It is the deadliest school shooting in US history. Congress responds with no federal legislation. In 2014, the Senate fails 54–46 to advance expanded background checks — six votes short of cloture. In February 2022, the families of nine victims reach a landmark $73 million settlement with Remington Arms, the rifle's manufacturer — the first major accountability win against a gun maker, won through PLCAA's narrow exception for negligent marketing.
Las Vegas: 60 Killed — Deadliest Mass Shooting in US History
A shooter firing from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel kills 60 people and wounds 413 others at an outdoor music festival on the Las Vegas Strip — the deadliest mass shooting in American history. He uses bump stocks to fire at rates approaching automatic fire. The federal response is an ATF regulatory rule banning bump stocks, signed by the Trump administration in 2018 — later struck down by the Supreme Court in Garland v. Cargill (2024) on the grounds that bump stocks do not technically make a rifle a machine gun.
Parkland: 17 Killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
A 19-year-old shooter kills 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Survivors launch the March For Our Lives movement. Florida responds on March 9, 2018 by raising the firearm purchase age to 21, extending the 3-day waiting period to all guns, banning bump stocks, and creating Florida's first red flag law (risk protection orders). At the federal level, the Trump administration bans bump stocks by regulatory rule in 2019 — a rule later struck down by the Supreme Court in 2024.
An 18-year-old shooter kills 21 people — 19 elementary school children and 2 teachers — at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, using an AR-style rifle purchased legally on his 18th birthday. One month later, Congress passes the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first significant federal gun legislation in 28 years. Texas passes no gun restrictions; it enacts school safety measures including mandatory armed security at every public campus.
NYSRPA v. Bruen: Constitutional Standard for Gun Laws Changed
The Supreme Court rules 6–3 that the Second Amendment protects a right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense, striking down New York's "proper cause" requirement for a carry permit. More consequentially, the Court replaces the two-step means-ends scrutiny test that lower courts had used to evaluate gun regulations with a new standard: a gun law is only constitutional if it is consistent with the historical tradition of firearm regulation in America. This "historical tradition" test has since been used to strike down dozens of gun laws, including bans on firearms for people under felony indictment, people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, and marijuana users.
President Biden signs the first major federal gun legislation since 1994. Key provisions: enhanced background checks for buyers aged 18–20 (including juvenile records); closing the "boyfriend loophole" by extending domestic violence firearm prohibitions to dating partners; clarifying which private sellers must obtain an FFL; new federal crimes for gun trafficking and straw purchases; $750 million to fund state red flag law programs; and investments in mental health and school safety.
White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention Established
President Biden establishes the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, charged with implementing and building on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and other executive actions. The office is overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris, making it the highest-profile executive commitment to addressing gun violence in U.S. history. It coordinates federal agency action, supports state and local violence intervention programs, and advocates for further legislative action.
The Supreme Court rules 6–3 that bump stocks — devices that enable a semiautomatic rifle to fire at rates approaching a machine gun — do not technically convert a rifle into a machine gun under the statutory definition in the National Firearms Act. The federal bump stock ban, enacted by the Trump administration after Parkland, is invalidated. Bump stocks become legal again at the federal level; some state bans remain.
All dates, legislative provisions, and legal holdings sourced from primary documents (GovInfo, Congress.gov, CourtListener, National Archives) or Congressional Research Service analyses. Click any source link to verify.
250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED · 250 YEARS · COLONIAL MILITIAS TO TODAY · MILITIA ACT OF 1792 · D.C. V. HELLER 2008 · THE LAW CHANGED ·
04
Legal Context
THE 2ND AMENDMENT
then and now
A factual side-by-side comparison drawn entirely from primary sources: the Second Amendment itself, the Militia Act of 1792, and the Supreme Court's 2008 Heller decision. No interpretation added. The sources speak for themselves.
“
The Second Amendment is four sentences long. But what it required of gun owners in 1791 (mandatory service, federal mustering, public accountability) and what it requires today are entirely different things. That change happened through courts, not the Constitution.
The Second Amendment · Ratified December 15, 1791
“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.”
Militia members were required, at their own expense and within six months, to obtain: a musket or rifle, bayonet and belt, two spare flints, a cartridge box with 24 cartridges, and a knapsack.
Flintlock musket or rifle. Single shot per reload. Practical rate of fire: 2–3 rounds per minute for trained soldiers. Effective range: ~50–75 yards for aimed fire.
Arms-bearing was inseparable from mandatory civic-military obligation. State concealed carry bans began as early as 1813 (Kentucky). Federal regulation tied gun ownership directly to organized service.
Any non-prohibited person (no prior felony, no domestic violence conviction, not adjudicated mentally ill, etc.) may purchase and own firearms. No federal license to own required.
None. The Supreme Court held in Heller (2008) that the right protects an individual right 'unconnected with service in a militia.' No federal law requires civilian gun owners to serve, train, or muster.
None federally. No registration, no mandatory safety equipment, no inspection. The Firearm Owners Protection Act (1986) explicitly prohibits a national firearms registry (18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3)).
AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle: fires one round per trigger pull; a trained shooter can fire 45–60 aimed rounds per minute. Capacity: 30 rounds standard magazine. Effective range: 400–600+ meters.
The individual right is not unlimited. Heller explicitly preserved regulations prohibiting possession by felons, the mentally ill, and in sensitive places. But no service obligation exists.
Editorial note: This comparison presents verified historical and legal facts without interpretive editorializing. The Heller majority opinion (Justice Scalia, joined by four colleagues) is the controlling precedent; the dissent (four justices) interpreted the 2nd Amendment as a collective militia right. Both positions are rooted in earnest legal reasoning. Primary sources are linked above.
NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) · NO FEDERAL LICENSE TO OWN · NO NATIONAL REGISTRY · NO MANDATORY TRAINING · 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3) ·
05
Policy Context
100 THINGS
more regulated than guns
Under federal law, there is no mandatory license to own a firearm, no national registration, and no federal safety testing required before sale. Here are 100 everyday items, professions, and activities that face stricter regulatory requirements.
“
There is no federal license required to own a firearm, no national registry, and no mandatory safety course. The 100 items below, from goldfish to lemonade stands, face stricter regulatory requirements under federal or state law.
What federal gun law does require: Background check through NICS when purchasing from a licensed dealer; minimum age 21 (handguns) or 18 (long guns); serial numbers on new firearms; prohibited persons may not possess firearms. Giffords Law Center ↗
What federal gun law does NOT require: No license to own, no registration (a national registry is explicitly prohibited by 18 U.S.C. § 926(a)(3)), no mandatory safety training, no insurance.
Showing 20 of 100 items
#1Federal
Toy guns & imitation firearms
Consumer Safety
Must have a permanent blaze-orange barrel plug inserted no more than 6mm from the muzzle — OR be made entirely of transparent/translucent material — OR have all exterior surfaces brightly colored. Mandatory before any sale or import under federal law.
#2Federal
Lawn darts (Jarts)
Consumer Safety
Federally banned. CPSC voted a final ban effective December 19, 1988 under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act after 6,100 injuries and 3 child deaths in 8 years. Sale, manufacture, and import of pointed-tip lawn darts is completely prohibited in the US.
#3Federal
Children's toys (general)
Consumer Safety
Federal mandatory safety standard (ASTM F963-23, mandatory as of April 2024) requires: lead content no more than 100 ppm; no small parts for children under 3; third-party testing and certification before sale; mandatory cautionary labeling. Manufacturers must certify compliance before any product enters US commerce.
#4Federal
Bicycle helmets
Consumer Safety
Mandatory federal safety standard (16 CFR Part 1203) requires every helmet sold in the US to pass impact attenuation testing (max 300g), peripheral vision testing, retention system tests, and bear a mandatory certification label with manufacturer name, address, and date of manufacture.
#5Federal
Baby cribs
Consumer Safety
Drop-side cribs are federally banned. Mandatory CPSC safety standard (16 CFR Part 1219) requires all cribs to meet construction, hardware, and testing requirements before sale. Violations subject manufacturers to civil penalties and mandatory recalls.
#6Federal
Mattresses
Consumer Safety
Mandatory federal flammability standards: 16 CFR Part 1632 (cigarette ignition resistance) and 16 CFR Part 1633 (open-flame resistance, 30-minute test). Manufacturers must issue a General Conformity Certificate (GCC) stating compliance before any mattress is sold.
#7Federal
Hoverboards / self-balancing scooters
Consumer Safety
CPSC's 2016 enforcement position effectively makes UL 2272 safety certification mandatory — covering electrical drivetrain, battery pack, and charger. Non-compliant products are subject to seizure and recall as presenting a substantial product hazard. Manufacturers must test and certify before sale.
#8Federal
Children's sleepwear
Consumer Safety
Mandatory federal flammability standard (16 CFR Parts 1615–1616): sleepwear for children sizes 0–14 must be flame-resistant — either treated with flame retardant or made of inherently flame-resistant fabric — or snug-fitting. Must self-extinguish. Mandatory labeling required.
#9Federal
Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs
Consumer Safety
Federally banned for sale and import. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. § 342(d)(1)) deems food containing a non-food object embedded in it "adulterated." U.S. Customs routinely confiscates them from travelers. Commercial import can result in seizure and fines.
#10Federal
Consumer fireworks (M-80s, cherry bombs)
Consumer Safety
M-80s, cherry bombs, aerial bombs, and any device with more than 50mg of pyrotechnic composition are federally banned for consumer use (ban dates to 1967). Legal consumer fireworks must meet strict CPSC composition limits (16 CFR Part 1507) and labeling requirements.
#11Federal
High-powered magnetic sets (e.g., Buckyballs)
Consumer Safety
Mandatory CPSC safety standard (16 CFR Part 1262, effective 2022) for magnet sets: individual magnets with flux index ≥ 50 kG²mm² intended for entertainment or mental stimulation must meet strict separation force and flux limits or be banned for sale to consumers.
#12Federal
Infant formula
Consumer Safety
Mandatory FDA composition standards (21 CFR Part 107): infant formula must contain specified minimum and maximum levels of 29 nutrients, meet sterility and quality standards, and carry mandatory labeling. New formulas require FDA notification and testing before sale.
#13Federal
Swimming pool drain covers
Consumer Safety
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (federal, 2008) requires all public pools and spas to install anti-entrapment drain covers that comply with the ASME/ANSI A112.19.8 safety standard. Required before reopening after June 2008.
#14Federal
Cell phones & radio frequency devices
Consumer Safety
Mandatory FCC equipment authorization (FCC ID) required before any wireless device is marketed or imported into the US. Devices must comply with FCC RF exposure limits, electromagnetic compatibility standards, and labeling requirements (47 CFR Part 2).
#15Federal
Portable gasoline generators
Consumer Safety
CPSC mandatory rule (effective 2025): portable generators must have automatic shutoff technology that stops the engine before carbon monoxide reaches dangerous indoor concentrations, AND must meet a carbon monoxide emission rate limit. Applies to all generators manufactured or imported for sale in the US.
#16Federal
Cold medicine with pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, etc.)
Food & Drug
Federal law (Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, 2005) requires: government-issued photo ID at point of sale; purchaser must sign a logbook (name, address, date/time); daily purchase limit of 3.6 grams base; monthly limit of 9 grams; products must be kept behind the counter or in locked storage.
#17Federal
All prescription medications
Food & Drug
Federal law requires a valid prescription from a licensed practitioner before dispensing any prescription drug. Prescribers must be licensed by their state. Controlled substances require DEA-registered prescribers. No equivalent prescription system exists for firearms.
#18Federal
Schedule II opioids (OxyContin, fentanyl, etc.)
Food & Drug
Prescribers must have DEA registration (21 U.S.C. § 822) to prescribe Schedule II drugs; pharmacies must be DEA-registered to dispense them; tamper-resistant packaging required; most states require prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) that log every dispensed dose.
#19Federal
Dietary supplements
Food & Drug
Dietary supplement manufacturers must register their facility with FDA before beginning operations and renew biennially. They must comply with FDA Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs, 21 CFR Part 111): documented processes, quality controls, and purity testing. New dietary ingredients after Oct. 15, 1994 require FDA pre-market notification.
#20Federal
Raw milk (interstate sales)
Food & Drug
Federal law bans the retail sale, distribution, or delivery of raw (unpasteurized) milk across state lines (21 CFR § 1240.61, in effect since 1987). No comparable federal ban exists on interstate firearm sales through licensed dealers.
80 more items remaining
Sourcing note:Every item includes a citation to its primary regulatory source. Items marked “State (All 50)” reflect requirements in all 50 states. Click any source link to verify.
06
About This Exhibition
A FACTUAL RECORD
250 years documented
This exhibition was produced by March For Our Lives in the year of America's 250th anniversary. It presents verified facts, primary sources, and documented history. Everything here is sourced and linked. Nothing is invented.
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An informed public is the foundation of any serious policy conversation. If you read this and want to act, the door is open.
Founded
2018
March For Our Lives was founded in the weeks after the Parkland school shooting by survivors and students. It became one of the largest youth-led protests in American history.
This Archive
250
Years of legislation, court decisions, and documented gun violence. From the Militia Act of 1792 to Garland v. Cargill in 2024, the record is here and every entry is sourced.
Primary Sources
5
Sections drawing from GovInfo, Congress.gov, CourtListener, the National Archives, and peer-reviewed public health research. Every statistic is linked to its source.
