Early Arizona Statehood and Firearms Culture Phoenix Broadside 1920 Addressing Civilian Gun Use

1920. No Shooting on These Premises," issued 1920 in Phoenix, Arizona documents local efforts to regulate firearm use during the early years of Arizona statehood as urban growth and shifting legal environments reshaped public space. Following Arizona's 1910 constitutional recognition of the right to bear arms, rapidly expanding cities such as Phoenix confronted the need to balance that right with emerging concerns over public safety, particularly as population density increased. The broadside provides evidence of localized, property-based restrictions on firearms in a period marked by tensions between frontier traditions and modern urban governance. It supports research into the history of gun regulation, municipal authority, and the transformation of the American West in the early twentieth century.

"No Shooting on These Premises." G.G. Morgan Printing Co. Phoenix, Arizona, 1920. Original broadside printed on linen cloth, measuring approximately 12" x 8¾". The text presents a direct prohibition on firearm discharge within a defined property space, designed for public display. The format and material indicate durability for repeated or outdoor use, consistent with signage intended for enforcement or deterrence. The production reflects commercial printing practices in Phoenix during a period of rapid civic and infrastructural development.

Issued at a time when Phoenix expanded significantly in geographic and population scale, the broadside aligns with broader national developments of the 1920s, including the introduction of Prohibition in the United States, which contributed to increased concerns about public order, illicit activity, and violence. As urban centers in the American West transitioned away from frontier conditions, signage such as this demonstrates how property owners and local authorities asserted control over behavior within increasingly regulated environments. Light soiling and minor fraying at edges; overall in very good condition.