Firearms History

Firearms history happens every day of the year. Gun Calendars.com logs the patents, birthdays, laws and battles that shaped the guns Americans own today, and puts each one on the date it happened.

The inventors

From John Moses Browning and Samuel Colt to John Garand and Dr. Richard Gatling, the calendar marks the birthdays, deaths and big breakthroughs of the people behind the designs.

John Moses Browning gun inventor cardSamuel Colt gun inventor cardOliver Winchester gun inventor cardJohn Thompson gun inventor cardJohn Garand gun inventor card
Gun Inventors cards from the Gun Calendars.com collection

Inventions and patents

Many of the most famous guns started as a drawing in a patent filing. The calendar marks the day each one was granted, from the Gatling gun to the M1 Garand.

M1 Garand rifle patent drawing
Patent drawing for the M1 Garand
  • Inventions: patents and first production dates
  • Guns: the history of individual models

Gun laws and the Second Amendment

Gun laws have dates too. The calendar tracks when major federal and state laws were signed, when court decisions came down, and when restrictions were rolled back.

Glock pistol patent drawing
The Glock pistol patent

Military dates and US gun history

Battles, adoptions and service rifles are part of the story as well, along with the holidays that honor the people who carried them.

Original Thompson Submachine Gun advertisement from the Auto-Ordnance Corporation
An early Thompson Submachine Gun advertisement