OK, how many military grade weapons existed during the years surrounding the Revolutionary War? I'm not sure cannon were considerd for civilian use or possession. Muskets, rifles and other long guns, pistols, bayonnets, knives and tomahawks were the main weapons used in that war, so they had a limited group to consider and there would have been no way to imagine what would come later. If they had been able to see the sick world this would become, they may have limited the weapons allowed to some kind of short stick. OTOH, a short, metal stick is called a 'knife' and even that limitation would have been pushed.