Our Origin Story…
In early 1972, a few Alaskan gun collectors met one evening in a vacant store on Spenard Road in Anchorage, Alaska in response to a newspaper ad asking that persons interested in organizing a gun show in Anchorage attend the meeting. With the meeting scheduled the same night as the local as the Ducks Unlimited Banquet, the first meeting of what was to become the Alaska Gun Collectors Association, Inc. was not well attended.
Nonetheless, from that first meeting, an organization calling itself the Alaska Gun Traders was formed, the name being changed to the Alaska Gun Collectors Association, Inc. in the mid 1970′s.
The First Gun Show…
The AGCA held its first gun show in the Spring of 1972 at the old Alaska National Guard Armory on Jewel Lake Road. Since that time the AGCA has sponsored at least two or three gun shows a year.
Our Development & Legacy
In the time since that humble beginning in 1972, the AGCA has expanded its purpose and service to the community.
For over thirty years, the AGCA has organized and held its Youth Shooting Appreciation Day at which youngsters from age 12 to 18 are introduced to the various aspects of the shooting sports, and the importance of firearms safety. This free event is enthusiastically attended by 500 young people each year.
The AGCA supports Olympic shooters, college, high school and other rifle teams and shooting programs, veterans’ programs, Friends of NRA, and to other civic organizations financially and through volunteer work focused on training, safety, and education.
The AGCA offers a scholarship program for those interested in pursuing the shooting sports beyond high school.
In August of 2020, the AGCA was formally recognized as an §501(3)(c) IRC organization, designated by the IRS as a non-profit public charity under IRC Section 170.
Over the years, the AGCA has developed the largest and most extensive collection of Alaska-commemorative firearms in the world. This collection has been exhibited nationally and continues to grow as new items are acquired through generous donations and strategic purchases. Our organization takes pride in the ongoing preservation and exhibition of this collection and remains interested in acquiring additional items representing the history and legacy of firearms in Alaska.
In addition to the above, consistent with our origins, the AGCA continues to organize events for the display of private and public collections, provide education opportunities for the development of skills in historic research and preservation, and for collectors to start or add to their own collections.
The membership of the AGCA supports all of these efforts financially and through volunteer work, and collectively represents a valuable resource for research, training, and mentoring.
Contact
Office: (907) 310-3602
Locations
7311 Tarsus Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99502
328 Boniface Parkway
Anchorage, AK 99504-1080