Set against the background of a colonial home, this gallery displays the firearms that were essential to the survival of the early colonists. Not only can visitors examine the firearms of the 1700s, but they can also experience the genesis of the idea of liberty and how the attempted confiscation of firearms by British troops led directly to the "shot heard around the world." The American effort toward freedom from England is detailed, along with the firearms that made such independence a reality. Learn about the Franco-American Alliance, the arms of the American Revolution (musket, rifle, fowler, flintlock mechanism, and paper cartridge), and the French and Indian War.

Significant Firearms in Gallery III:

• Replicas of George Washington's pistols
• Graphic of the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia
• Brown Bess muskets
• Black Watch flintlock pistol
• Cookson repeating flintlock by John Shaw of Boston -- example of 12-shot rifle made before the American Revolution
• Miniature pocket pistol for self-protection in the wilderness

The National Firearms Museum would like to thank the following for their contributions, making this gallery possible:
» Dr. William L. and Collette N. Roberts
» R.L. Wilson
» DBS International
» New Mexico Gun Collectors Association
» David P. Bookman