Firearms Almanac
How We Verify
Last updated: October 30, 2026
Everything in Firearms Almanac, from a state gun-law entry to the barrel length on a catalog listing, follows the same basic rule: we check it against the official source, we say how sure we are, and the Editor approves it before it's published.
Laws & Regulations
Every legal claim we publish, new or changed, is checked against primary sources: statutes, regulations, court orders and opinions, and official agency guidance. News stories can point us to a change; they are never the source we cite for it.
We label each claim one of four ways.
| Result | What it means | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Verified | The primary source says what we say. | The claim, with its source linked. |
| Wrong | The primary source says something different. | We fix it and log the fix on our Corrections page. |
| Unsettled | The source exists, but what it means is genuinely open: courts disagree, a new rule hasn't been tested, or officials haven't said how it applies. | We say it's unsettled, explain why, and link the sources on each side. |
| Can't verify | We couldn't find a primary source that confirms it. | Marked Unverified (or Under review) until we can, or it comes out. |
Where the law is unsettled, and right now a lot of firearms law is, we say plainly what's known, what isn't, and who is still deciding it, rather than sounding more certain than the sources allow.
Manufacturer catalogs
Catalog listings are checked against the manufacturer's own official sources: its catalogs, official product pages, and archived copies of official pages.
We label each listing one of five ways.
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Verified | The maker's official source matches our listing. |
| Wrong | The maker's source shows something different, so we correct it. |
| Missing | The maker lists a model or version we don't have yet, so we add it. |
| Conflicting | The maker's own sources disagree with each other. |
| Can't verify | We couldn't find an official source for it. |
- “Retailer-listed, not confirmed by [maker]”: retailers list it, but we haven't found it on the maker's official sources. We show it; we don't vouch for it.
- “Coming soon”: announced by the maker, not shipping yet.
When sources disagree
When sources disagree and we can't resolve it, we never quietly delete the entry or pick a side. Unresolved conflicts go to the Editor, who decides what we publish, sometimes by showing you the conflict as it stands.
Every change is approved by the Editor
Every change is reviewed and approved by the Editor, Jon Smith, before it's published. Corrections to published information are listed on our Corrections page.
Approved by: Jon Smith, Editor.
“Last reviewed” dates
Each state law entry and the federal overview show the date they were last checked against their sources. Treat that date as part of the claim. Changes we're watching but haven't treated as law yet are on Pending legislation & court cases.
Found a mistake?
Email contact@firearmsalmanac.com with the page, what you think is wrong, and the source that shows it. We check every report against the primary source. If we were wrong, we fix it and log it on the Corrections page.