Hollywood culture and guns - interesting information

[guzzijohn]

Heard this on the radio (local farm news station) the other day, data supposably from ATF records:
1. Hollywood residents have the highest number of firearms per capita.
2. Person with largest number of privately owned firearms in the U.S. is Steven Spielberg.

GuzziJohn

[TribReady]

That's interesting.
I'd like to see more info and data.

[Graybeard]

While I can't KNOW for certain I REALLY don't believe that info is factual.

[myronman3]

i thought it was illegal for them to keep records like that...

[-Shaggy-]

I remember reading Charlton Heston's auotobiography and he said something like " Steven Spielberg has the finest gun collection in California." I have also read several times over the years that he has a huge collection of guns, but tries hard to keep it quiet because of where he lives and works.

[DalesCarpentry]

How many guns do you think he owns? I would think the largest collection in CA would have to be at least over a thousand. I have met ordinary people that have a couple hundred guns. Dale

[victorcharlie]

Do  you have the link to that story by any chance?

[jhm]

I can believe some of that as THEY think that they are better than anyone else and COLLECTING them raises their STATUS level, Its like fine wine wine but you cant beat a bottle of RIPPLE when nothing else is avail.   JIM

[guzzijohn]

Sorry guys, I do not have any links or other ways to confirm this one way or the other. That is one reason I posted hoping someone on the board could provide something more solid. Just even the thought I found interesting.
GuzziJohn

[DalesCarpentry]

There might be some truth to this story. Here is a quote I found. Dale


It's also said that Spielberg has the largest private selection of Norman Rockwell paintings in the world and that he has the fire power to protect it too. (His is "the finest gun collection in Southern California," according to Charlton Heston.) He has left in the dust anyone who mocked him as a kid.

 
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/05.29.97/spielberg-9722.html

[Will Bison]

Could be true. Quite a few of my friends in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Brentwood and the surrounding areas have guns. What I don't know is how the information is collected.

Keep in mind that a lot of big money is made behind the camera, not in front of it. For every face you see on screen there are 50 more you don't see. Money equals toys and folks in Hollywood love toys.

[Singleshotsam]

I would think it is possible.  I don't even have a 10 gun collection, and I don't want everybody to know about it... I would be extremely quiet about a 1000 gun or better collection.

[rockbilly]

I have a very good friend who lives near Alpine, TX that has well over a 1000 firearms.  They are out for everone who visits his house to see, his den walls are covered with old Winchesters and Colts.  They are hung everywhere you look throughout the house.  He doesn’t own a safe, and once said anyone that wants to steal his collection is welcome to try.

I have a sizeable collection, but they are (almost all) locked in one of the safes.

As for Hollywood, with the gun laws in Kalifornia, it must be a real pain to own a collection there.  You would almost have to be a Steinberg to afford the permits, I would bet he has one hell-of-an alarm system, and armed guards walking his property

[Graybeard]

data supposably from ATF records:

The BATFE has no records to support or deny such information. I still say it's gross BS.

There was (now dead so is no more) an old rich man who lived in this area. He had the most extensive collection of guns of all sorts as well as other weapons and even rare art that I've ever seen or heard of. Some of the items he had one either one of one or one of two or three in the entire world the rest being usually in museums. Twice I was priviledged to be able to tour his home and his collections. The Army Depot I worked at used to take high level visitors to the depot to his home for the tour as he was a retired Army Colonel and very friendly to the local Fort and Depot.

I was a mid level manager at the depot myself thus my invitation the first time. The second was at his and his wife's personal invitation as I had told them the first visit my wife would sure have loved to have come with me but at that time the invitation wasn't open to her. They insisted next time a part came to bring her with me and I did.

His collection was so vast that prior to his death he donated it to the city of Anniston, AL with the proviso they build a new museum to house it. They were happy to take him up on it. Now anyone who wishes may see his huge collection of rare guns and art work and all sorts of other things militaria and firearms related.

To be honest I can't imagine who might have a larger collection than this man had and is now in the museum named for him. It's the Farley Berman Museum in Anniston, Alabama. If you're ever in the area you really should visit and see his collection. I've not been and really am remiss in that. I have to wonder if they made room for everything to be on display at once tho as it was in his huge home.

[DalesCarpentry]

data supposably from ATF records:

There was (now dead so is no more) an old rich man who lived in this area. He had the most extensive collection of guns of all sorts as well as other weapons and even rare art that I've ever seen or heard of. Some of the items he had one either one of one or one of two or three in the entire world the rest being usually in museums. Twice I was priviledged to be able to tour his home and his collections. The Army Depot I worked at used to take high level visitors to the depot to his home for the tour as he was a retired Army Colonel and very friendly to the local Fort and Depot.

I was a mid level manager at the depot myself thus my invitation the first time. The second was at his and his wife's personal invitation as I had told them the first visit my wife would sure have loved to have come with me but at that time the invitation wasn't open to her. They insisted next time a part came to bring her with me and I did.

His collection was so vast that prior to his death he donated it to the city of Anniston, AL with the proviso they build a new museum to house it. They were happy to take him up on it. Now anyone who wishes may see his huge collection of rare guns and art work and all sorts of other things militaria and firearms related.

To be honest I can't imagine who might have a larger collection than this man had and is now in the museum named for him. It's the Farley Berman Museum in Anniston, Alabama. If you're ever in the area you really should visit and see his collection. I've not been and really am remiss in that. I have to wonder if they made room for everything to be on display at once tho as it was in his huge home.

Here is some more information on the museum GB was speaking of for anyone interested. Dale

http://www.bermanmuseum.org/aboutUs/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/585171/make_a_stop_at_the_berman_museum_of.html
http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/winter97/fberman.html

[Empty Quiver]

That will sure be a stop on my next trip to Talladega. I've made the race trip several times and pretty much run out of side trips. The Allison family, NASA, and now gun collections, my respect for Alabama keeps rising.

[Graybeard]

The "other" museum in Anniston next to the Berman museum is also of world fame. It houses several world reknown collections including the Autoban (sp) bird collection, a pair of mummies from Egypt and a huge African aminal collection from a local world wide hunter. We even have a dinosaur.

They are worth the visit.