Pop culture usually influences the way we live. And it turns out firearms collecting is no different.
Danny Michael, the Cody Firearms Museum curator, said in the past Western movies really influenced what type of guns were collected but today that is changing. A great example is the Die Hard series.
"Where John McClane, you know, wields a MP five and a Beretta 92. And so later on these guns become collectible tourists," said Michael.
A certain population who sees the movie and like it may decide to buy it.
"They say, 'Hey, you know, these are modern firearms that are pretty readily accessible, I could go get one and then I could shoot and enjoy that and collect it,'" said Michael.
Another influence is the centennial of the World War I. Michael said it spiked a lot of interest in the conflict. And along with that, there were several major movies and video games that focus on World War I.
"All those have sort of combined, I think, to drive interest in military collecting more so than say, like Old West collecting, and that's what's sort of currently popular," said Michael.
