Park Service Moves Against Springfield Museum???

The Springfield Armory National Historical Site in Massachusetts is a tribute to America's first and last national armory, the place where much of our national history was shaped (the above illustration is from Harper's Magazine in 1861 as the Armory tooled up for the Civil War).

Now it appears that the Armory itself has come under fire, this time from its National Park Service overseers.

Yesterday Jim Shepherd at the SHOOTING WIRE and I received information ostensibly from an insider whistle-blower that the Springfield Armory is quietly being disassembled. According to the information we received, the new director not only has no background in firearms — rather, from "textiles" — but sees no benefit in preserving "old guns."

Again, according to the information we received, the curator has been removed, the huge arms library has been closed and the new administrator is in the process of locking up the arms collections.

Both Jim and I are working to either confirm or deny the information, but so far no one at Springfield is talking.

The Springfield Armory is an important part of our history and a special place for gun owners. Those who would like to exorcize firearms from the American stage might well pause and consider the consequences to their own careers from being in the middle of a very public controversy over an important piece of Americana.

We'll keep you informed!