The 2A HisTREE
The people, groups, laws and court cases that grew the Second Amendment movement.
From the roots in 1791 to the newest branches.
The original HisTREE poster was researched and hand-drawn over many years by the Minuteman University 2A History Project. Know a person, group or date that belongs on the tree? Send it through the contact form.
The Full Timeline, Year by Year
Every law, court case, group and milestone on the HisTREE.
Turning points are highlighted in orange.
The Roots1791–1899 · Founding and the frontier5 laws, 2 rulings, 1 group, 3 milestones
- 1791LawTurning Point
Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
Ratified with the Bill of Rights, protecting the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
Read more › - 1792Law
Militia Acts of 1792
Organized the state militias and required able-bodied citizens to own a musket or rifle and supplies.
Read more › - 1813Law
First ban on concealed carry, Kentucky and Louisiana
Removed in 1822
- 1822Law
First concealed carry ban removed
By state appellate courts
- 1860Milestone
First recorded pistol match
- 1862
- 1865Milestone
Buffalo Bill Cody begins pistol shooting exhibitions
- 1871
- 1876Court Case
U.S. v. Cruikshank
The Supreme Court held the Second Amendment restrained only the federal government, leaving states unchecked for over a century.
Read more › - 1886Court Case
Presser v. Illinois
Upheld a state ban on private armed groups parading without a license.
Read more › - 1897Milestone
First World Shooting Championships
The Trunk Grows1900–1949 · A new century of laws and leagues6 laws, 1 ruling, 5 groups, 1 milestone
- 1900Group Founded
U.S. Revolver Association
- 1903
- 1903Group Founded
National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice
- 1903Law
War Department Appropriations Act
- 1907Group Founded
International Shooting Union (UIT)
U.S. joined in 1908
- 1910Milestone
Skeet shooting originates
- 1911Law
New York Sullivan Law
Required a police permit to own a handgun in New York, one of the first permit-to-purchase laws.
- 1916
- 1926
- 1929Group Founded
National Sporting Goods Association
- 1934LawTurning Point
National Firearms Act (NFA)
Placed a $200 tax and federal registration on machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and suppressors.
Read more › - 1938Law
Federal Firearms Act (FFA)
Created the first federal dealer licenses and barred sales to some convicted felons.
Read more › - 1939Court Case
United States v. Miller
Upheld the NFA as applied to a short-barreled shotgun, tying protection to militia usefulness.
Read more ›
New Branches1950–1974 · Industry and organized advocacy2 laws, 3 groups, 1 milestone
- 1958Milestone
First women's events at the World Shooting Championships
- 1961
- 1968LawTurning Point
Gun Control Act of 1968
Built the modern federal licensing system and the list of prohibited persons, and ended most mail-order sales.
Read more › - 1968
- 1971
- 1974
The Movement Spreads1975–1999 · National and state groups take hold13 laws, 1 ruling, 5 groups, 4 milestones
- 1975
- 1976
- 1976
- 1979Milestone
First SHOT Show, St. Louis, Missouri
Held by the NSSF
- 1984Law
Armed Career Criminal Act
Added long mandatory sentences for repeat violent felons caught with firearms.
Read more › - 1985Milestone
First Gun Rights Policy Conference, Seattle
- 1986LawTurning Point
Firearm Owners Protection Act
Protected travel with firearms and limited ATF abuses, but closed the machine gun registry to new civilian guns.
Read more › - 1986
- 1988Law
Undetectable Firearms Act
Requires firearms to contain enough metal to be found by a metal detector.
Read more › - 1989
- 1989Law
Semiautomatic Rifle Import Ban
Executive action halting imports of many semiautomatic rifles.
Read more › - 1990Law
Gun-Free School Zones Act
Struck down by the Supreme Court in 1995 in United States v. Lopez, then re-enacted in revised form.
Read more › - 1991Milestone
U.S. International Shooting Hall of Fame
- 1992
- 1993Law
Brady Bill
Imposed a five-day waiting period and background checks on handgun sales until NICS replaced it.
Read more › - 1993
- 1994LawTurning Point
Federal Assault Weapons Ban
Banned new sales of many semiautomatic rifles and standard-capacity magazines for ten years.
Read more › - 1996
- 1996
- 1996Group Founded
International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA)
- 1996Law
Lautenberg Amendment
Added misdemeanor domestic violence convictions to the federal prohibited list.
Read more › - 1997Court Case
Printz v. United States
The federal government cannot order local sheriffs to run background checks.
Read more › - 1998Law
National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
The instant background check system replaced the Brady waiting period.
Read more ›
A New Generation2000–2009 · Carry, courts and the internet age4 laws, 1 ruling, 8 groups, 1 milestone
- 2000
- 2001
- 2003
- 2003
- 2004Law
Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act
Lets qualified current and retired officers carry concealed nationwide.
- 2004Group Founded
OpenCarry.org
- 2005
- 2005Law
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA)
Shields lawful manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits over criminal misuse of their products.
Read more › - 2006
- 2007Milestone
Youth Shooting Sports Alliance
- 2008
- 2008Court CaseTurning Point
District of Columbia v. Heller
The Supreme Court confirmed an individual right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense.
Read more › - 2009Law
Montana Firearms Freedom Act
Asserted that guns made and kept within Montana fall outside federal regulation.
Read more › - 2009
New Growth2010–Today · Communities that changed who the movement is2 rulings, 2 groups
- 2010
- 2010Court CaseTurning Point
McDonald v. City of Chicago
Applied the Second Amendment to state and local governments.
Read more › - 2011Court Case
Ezell v. City of Chicago
Struck down Chicago's ban on gun ranges inside city limits.
Read more › - 2013
Press play for a guided tour from 1791 to today, or head back up to explore the poster and test yourself with Who Came First?
Back to the HisTREE