AGENCY: National Guard
SERIES: 10113
TITLE: Carbon County firearms confiscation correspondence
DATES: i 1922-1931.
ARRANGEMENT:
DESCRIPTION: In summer 1922, labor strikes in the Carbon County coal fields resulted in the declaration of martial law. The National Guard was called out, and residents were ordered to turn over all firearms to military authorities. With the end of martial law, U.S. citizens could apply for return of their guns. This correspondence was generated as a result of individuals attempting to reclaim their property from the National Guard.
Most letters are from residents requesting gun returns or are internal correspondence of the Guard trying to find those guns. Letters are regularly accompanied by notarized statements of citizenship; receipts; and a description of the firearm, usually including model and serial number.__In some cases when the gun could not be located, a new gun was purchased or one substituted from the unclaimed guns. All these transactions are documented.
There are also administrative memoranda and letters separated from the bulk. The memos include copies of the proclamations initiating and ending martial law, appeals by the Guard to the units to recover citizens' guns in the possession of individual Guard members, listings of collected arms, and Attorney General opinions defining use of firearms in destroying predators and regarding the sale of unclaimed guns.__The separated letters were held pending proof of citizenship: a foreign national was required to be actively employed in the destruction of predatory animals or in caring for stock on the range to own a gun.
RETENTION
DISPOSITION
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION
These records are in Archives' permanent custody.
FORMAT MANAGEMENT
Paper: Retain in State Records Center until microfilmed and then destroy provided microfilm has passed inspection.
Microfilm master: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
Microfilm duplicate: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
APPRAISAL
Historical
This disposition is based on the inclusion of information not available elsewhere. The series documents an aspect of labor conflict in the coal fields, provides intensive data on the role of the National Guard, and incidentally provides extensive citizenship data and artifact information of interest to genealogists and others.
PRIMARY DESIGNATION
Public