If you’re looking for something to take your mind off of the craziness that is 2020 then the Cody Firearms Museum may have the event just for you. While there looks to be the second round of lockdowns on the horizon for some of us, the historians at the Cody Firearms Museum will be hosting the online Arsenals of History Virtual Summit event on November 14th between 10am and 5pm EDT.

Arsenals of History Virtual Summit by the Cody Firearms Museum

TFB reached out to the Curator of the Cody Firearms Museum, Danny Michael, and he had this to say about the upcoming summit:

We’re excited for the symposium to go virtual because it opens it up to people and museums that we couldn’t reach if we did in person only. Obviously, things will be a bit different, but people that come will have a great chance to see some museums and collections from afar and talk directly to the people that manage them. That’s a pretty unique opportunity. 

Schedule

During the free event, the historians will take you on a full tour of the Cody Firearms Museum which is home to over 7,000 firearms from throughout history as well as over 30,000 firearms-related artifacts (like the elusive Wingo ice ball maker that we talked about on The Rimfire Report.) This stop on the virtual summit is sure to please any firearms enthusiast with a penchant for history.

Entrance to the newly refurbished Cody Firearms Museum (Matthew Moss)

After a brief lecture on Museums and Gun Laws, another tour will be provided this time to a super rare look at the Smithsonian Vault. The Smithsonian Vault has over 7,000+ guns in their inventory as well as 150 firearms that are on display throughout the various branches of the Smithsonian Institution. The National Firearms Collection of the Smithsonian was established in 1876 and is one of the most inaccessible firearms repositories unless you are a scholar or a dignitary. This virtual tour will probably be your best bet at getting a peek into the enigmatic vault.

During “lunch” there will be a special guest appearance by Ian McCollum from the Forgotten Weapons YouTube channel. TFBTV regulars will know that Forgotten Weapons and TFBTV have teamed up in the past to bring you some good content.

After lunch, there will be an additional tour of the Mob Museum (National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement). This tour should give you a good look into the history of Organized Crime within the United States and its impact on American Society. To cap off the virtual summit there will be some brief gameplay by the historians of the Cody Firearms Museum where they’ll Play Battlefield I (a WWI Themed First Person Shooter) along with Royal Armouries and they will judge the firearms presented within the game.

Finally, there will be an hour-long clinic on how to care for your personal firearms collection followed by Happy Hour History where attendees will be able to participate in the conversation and enjoy a virtual drink with the historians. The Arsenals of History Virtual Summit will be free to the public. A link to the event can be obtained by submitting an RSVP to firearmshistorymuseums@gmail.com before November 11th. On the day of the event, you will be provided a link where you can join in on the summit.