legal issues... revised 5/11/99

Black powder muzzle loaders and signal / salute cannons are legal to sell, as are antique replicas.   The BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) does not consider signal cannon and muzzle loaders as weapons. The Gun Control Act of 1968 exempts all muzzleloading antiques and replicas from the Federal definition of "firearm".

Small, novelty type Toy cannons may be classified as "Fireworks" by some state statues and are therefore illegal to shoot.  Cannons can be classified differently!  You must check your State laws regarding the classification of small cannon, and their legality.  

Connecticut laws clearly state that "Toy cannons" are considered "fireworks" and are therefore illegal to sell, purchase or fire without a proper permit from the State Fire Marshal.  We do not sell fireable, novelty type "Toy Cannons".  We do sell signal cannons and black powder cannon replicas which are legal.

You need to obey any noise ordinance laws in your town.  This may mean a telephone call to your local police department to inform them you are going to shoot a signal cannon.

We can only assume the other States listed have similar laws.  It is your responsibility to check the State and local laws.  A few States publish this and related information on the Internet.  

For our customers in the UK, we received this information from the Authorities (11/04):

Cannon-Mania; Thank you for your assistance. Our Firearms Acts are extensive. the definition of a firearm in our law is: any lethal barrelled weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or missile can be discharged. 
Shotguns require a shotgun certificate issued by the police - they must meet the following criteria: have a smooth bored barrel more than 24 inches long and a bore less than 2 inches in diameter and any magazine must be restricted to 2 cartridges.
Any other firearm requires a firearm certificate issued by the police.
Any transactions in firearms must be face to face other than to a Registered Firearms Dealer.
Some firearms are prohibited in Britain, that is: any firearm with a barrel less than 30 centimetres in length or is less than 60 centimetres in length overall and is not a muzzle-loading gun.

Hope this clarifies the situation for you.

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