New Firearms Museum Draws Hundreds on Opening Day

Firearms have played a large part in the shaping of America – and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody has re-imagined the way they tell that story with its new installation of the Cody Firearms Museum.

Hundreds of people flocked to the Center of the West Saturday to witness the grand re-opening of the museum, which has been closed to the public for the last eight months.

Now, $12 million dollars later, the famous collection is once again open to the public, displaying more than 10,000 artifacts within 40,000 feet of space.

The re-installation has been eight years in the making, according to Curator Ashley Hlebinsky, who jokingly says she gave her twenties to the project.

The re-installation project put an emphasis on interactive displays, and Hlebinsky says the museum invites visitors to explore how people have used firearms throughout history, in times of both war and peace.

Hlebinsky adds that the new museum serves as a foundation for a variety of audiences to spark additional research and discussion beyond the institution’s walls.