The Galleries
- Robert E. Petersen Collection
- Ancient Firearms - 1350 to 1700
- Road to American Liberty - 1700 to 1780
- A Prospering New Republic - 1780 to 1860
- A Nation Asunder - 1861 to 1865
- The American West - 1850 to 1900
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt and Elegant Arms - 1880s to 1920s
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond - 1940 to Present
- For the Fun of It
- Modern Firearms - 1950 to Present
- Hollywood Guns
Burgess Slide Action Folding Gun
An innnovative shotgun, the Burgess Folding Gun was the choice for bank messengers or prison guards who needed a compact arm that could be carried in a belt holster. SN 3056
In 1895, an armed man is said to have entered Theodore Roosevelt's office and fired six times before the startled future President could protest. "T.R." was then President of New York City's Board of Police Commissioners. The intruder was a zealous gun salesman named Charlie Damon. In spectacular fashion, Damon was demonstrating the advantages of a recently introduced police shotgun made by the Burgess Gun Company. He hoped to see its adoption by the New York City Police Department. Thoughtfully, he had used only blank shells.