Second Amendment Exhibit Opening at Alcatraz East Crime Museum

Alcatraz East Crime Museum will be opening The Second Amendment on Friday. The exhibit will give visitors the opportunity to learn about laws that shaped this amendment and see rare firearms on display.

Alcatraz East Crime Museum has partnered with the National Rifle Association Museums, which includes the National Firearms Museum located in Fairfax, Virginia, which have generously loaned the special firearms in this exhibit.

“We are always interested in exhibits that provides historic context to our justice system, and featuring the Second Amendment does exactly that,” explains Janine Vaccarello, chief operating officer at Alcatraz East Crime Museum. “We know our guests will enjoy seeing rare pieces from the NRA Museums’ collection here in Tennessee.”

The Second Amendment will open October 5, 2018 and remain open for one year.

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of first 10 amendments known collectively as the Bill of Rights, is one of the most well-known legal principles in the world. Since it was ratified in 1791, many other laws and court cases have fleshed out the Amendment and established legal frameworks for its interpretation and implementation. Visitors will learn about significant court cases that shaped how the Second Amendment fits into the distinctly American laws we have today. This temporary exhibit traces firearm development, along with the pivotal moments behind the “right of the people to keep and bear arms.”

Manton Percussion Pocket Pistol, The Suckling Estate, courtesy of NRA Museums

This exhibit includes nearly two dozen artifacts that show the progression of firearms, from a 15th century matchlock carbine, to the most popular firearms of today. There are also pieces that have become synonymous with America itself, such as the American Long Rifle, and the iconic manufacturers Winchester, Colt, and Smith & Wesson. The exhibit will display a Spencer carbine, a repeating long gun from the Civil War, invented in 1860, and an especially rare Porter Turret rifle, unusual for its revolving chambers pointing outwards like spokes on a wheel.

“The NRA Museums are excited to bring the history of the Second Amendment and the story of firearms evolution to Alcatraz East,” added Jim Supica, director of the NRA Museums. “We hope visitors will gain a new appreciation of the heritage and importance of this Amendment.”

According to the Pew Research Center, four in 10 Americans either own a gun, or live in a household that has a gun, and 48 percent grew up in a household that had a gun. Their research shows that for most gun owners, owning a firearm is tied to their sense of personal freedom.

The museum is always adding to its collection, and has a star-studded panel of experts who make up the Advisory Board, including those in law enforcement, collectors, a medical examiner, crime scene investigators, and others. The board includes Jim Willett, a retired prison warden, Anthony Rivera, a combat veteran and Navy SEAL chief, and Judge Belvin Perry, Jr., who is best known for the Casey Anthony trial. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.alcatrazeast.com.

Through October 14, 2018, Alcatraz East Crime Museum will be hosting its annual fall Local Appreciation Days. Locals from the counties of Blount, Cocke, Jefferson, Knox, and Sevier, as well as those from the state welcome centers, receive $5 admission when they show their local identification or paystub.

Feature Photo: DWM Borchardt C-93 Semi-Automatic Pistol 1983, The Suckling Estate, courtesy of NRA Museums