How President Chester Arthur Viewed the Second Amendment (Very Narrowly)

I am researching every executive order since the first one was issued in 1826 by John Quincy Adams (it’s a project on how presidents regulate labor markets with respect to immigration and race).

The NRA peddles a fiction that the Constitutional fathers would have approved assault weapons. Opponents have duly pointed out that a musket took about 30 seconds to load with shot at that time.

This short order gives a nice sense of what the expectation was for gun ownership before the NRA strangled our legislatures.

This Executive Order was issued by President Arthur on March 30, 1882

TREASURY DEPARTMENT

To Collectors of Customs:

Under the provisions of section 1955, Revised Statutes, so much of Department instructions of July 3, 1875, approved by the President, as prohibits the importation and use of breech-loading rifles and suitable ammunition therefor into and within the limits of the Territory of Alaska is hereby amended and modified so as to permit emigrants who intend to become actual bona fide settlers upon the mainland to ship to the care of the collector of customs at Sitka, for their own personal protection and for the hunting of game, not exceeding one such rifle and suitable ammunition therefor to each male adult; also to permit actual bona fide residents of the mainland of Alaska (not including Indians or traders), upon application to the collector and with his approval, to order and ship for personal use such arms and ammunition to his care, not exceeding one rifle for each such person, and proper ammunition.

The sale of such arms and ammunition is prohibited except by persons about to leave the Territory, and then only to bona fide residents (excluding Indians and traders) upon application to and with the approval of the collector.

H. F. FRENCH, Acting Secretary.

CHESTER A. ARTHUR