About & methodology

Duty Arms Index is a structured, dated, source-linked record of the firearms, duty ammunition and weapon attachments that U.S. law enforcement agencies issue — and have issued in the past. It is built on public records first and community submissions second.

The unit of data: a claim

Every entry is a claim: Agency X issues (or issued) Item Y in Role Z, from date A to date B, according to Source S. Each claim shows its sources, an "as of" date, a confidence badge, and vote counts. When an agency changes equipment, the old claim is closed and moved to "Previously issued" — nothing is overwritten.

Confidence levels

• ✔Official sourceBacked by an agency or government document (policy manual, contract, council record, agency press release, government report, FOIA). Set only by a moderator.
• ◆Reliable secondaryReputable media or a manufacturer press release naming the agency. Set only by a moderator.
• ●Community verifiedNo official document yet, but enough independent, weighted upvotes from established users (including a trusted contributor) and no unresolved dispute.
• ○UnverifiedNew, anecdotal, or not yet corroborated.
• !DisputedCredible conflicting evidence or significant downvotes. Treat with caution.

What counts as a source

• Official: agency policy manuals, purchase orders and contracts, council/board approvals, agency press releases, government reports (e.g., California AB 481 military-equipment reports), FOIA responses.
• Reliable secondary: reputable news outlets and manufacturer press releases that name the agency.
• Leads only: forum posts, social media, and wikis can prompt research but don't by themselves earn a high badge.

A source link is required for every submission. Uploaded documents are stored with a hash; we link archive snapshots where available.

Votes mean "accurate," not "I like this gun"

• One vote per account per entry. Downvotes require a reason (outdated, wrong model, wrong agency, unsafe/OPSEC, source doesn't support it).
• Votes only count toward confidence from email-verified accounts at least 7 days old.
• Votes are weighted by reputation; reputation is earned when your entries are later confirmed and lost when they're overturned.
• Community verified requires a weighted score of at least 5 from at least 3 distinct users, including a trusted contributor, with no unresolved dispute.
• Votes can never make an entry Official or Reliable secondary. Only a moderator can, and only with a qualifying source.
• Heavy, reasoned downvoting marks an entry Disputed (or sends a moderator-locked entry back for review).

Freshness

Loadouts change. Entries not re-verified in 24 months are marked "may be outdated."

Corrections

Every agency page has a change log. Use "Report / safety concern" on any entry, or submit a corrected entry with a source.

Independence

We are not affiliated with any agency or manufacturer. Retailer links (when present) are clearly labeled and never affect confidence.