Regulation of firearms trade in the Russian Far East in the second half of the XIXth – early XXth century

Abstract

Basing on the study of the instructions of the Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, correspondence and mandatory resolutions of military governors and governors-general, the author examines how the firearms trade was regulated in the Russian Far East in the second half of the XIXth – early XXth century. The study shows that the regulation of firearms trade was quite strict: trading firms had to obtain permission for the right to sell firearms, and buyers – for the right to
purchase them, records were kept of all weapons sold and persons who purchased them by registering in special books at stores and shops, penalties for violating existing rules were gradually tightened. The border position of the Russian Far East had its impact on the regulation of the firearms trade in the region.