Ashley Hlebinsky is one of the foremost authorities on firearms and ammunition history in the world. Through The Gun Code, LLC, Hlebinsky serves as a consultant, overseeing history-related projects around the world.
She co-founded and serves as the Executive Director of the University of Wyoming College of Law’s Firearms Research Center, where she recently received nearly $1million from the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, she is a Founding Member of the Centre for the Study of Arms History in the UK and serves on the editorial board of Armax: The Journal of Contemporary Arms.
Hlebinsky has worked with other non-profits, such as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, Los Angeles Police Museum, National Museum of Law Enforcement and Organized Crime (The Mob Museum), and Houston Museum of Natural Science. Currently, she is building a new firearms museum in Manitoba, Canada. For a decade, Hlebinsky worked for and ran the most prominent firearms museum in the world, the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. During her tenure, she oversaw the full-scale $12million renovation of the museum, which reopened in 2019.
In addition to non-profits, Hlebinsky has worked with and advised for-profit companies such as Hindman Auctions, Colt CZ Group, Ruger, Staccato Firearms, Dillon Precision, and Daniel Defense. She has also been an expert witness in nearly 30 civil and criminal cases in the US and Canada.
Hlebinsky is a notable public figure, formerly co-hosting a show on the Discovery Channel and currently appearing on Outdoor Channel’s Gun Stories with Joe Mantegna (11 seasons) and Fox Nation’s Wanted: Dead or Alive with Sean Hannity. She has been an on-air personality, producer, and/or writer for networks such as National Geographic, History, Travel, Public Broadcasting Service, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and National Public Radio. In addition, she is a regular contributor for the popular podcast, Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb, which receives 8million downloads a month. She has been published over 200 times in popular and academic outlets.
Outside of her historical work, Hlebinsky is a mental health advocate, serving on the Board of Walk the Talk America, an organization that works with clinicians to better understand gun owners and reduce stigmas surrounding mental illness in the gun community, and Warrior Dog Spirit Foundation, a new organization that works to pair first responders with service dogs.
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Our guest today is Ashley Hlebinsky. Ashley is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on firearms history. She has served as both Curator of the Cody Firearms Museum (CFM) and Project Director for the museum’s multimillion dollar renovation and her work fosters dialogue for a range of diverse audiences
Ashley is a highly sought-after museum consultant, guest speaker, writer, expert witness in the US and Canada, and a television host and producer.
1) You are forever adding to the “hats” you wear, and the organizations you are connected with. In the past few months you began working with Walk The Talk America. And that connection began from a very personal place for you. Tell us about how this came about?
2) You have a couple of new projects in the works. You are currently in the process of founding the University of Wyoming Law School’s Firearms Research Center with 2A scholars George Mocsary and David Kopel. What is the goal of this project?
3) You are also working with the LA Police Museum. Tell us about the scope and purpose of this project?
4) You will be one of our speakers for the 9th Annual Celebrate & Protect the 2nd Amendment Rally Event at the AZ State Capitol Building on Saturday, February 19th from 10:am – 2:pm. You are accustomed to taking deep dives into history and speaking to inspire and educate people – can you give a sneak peek into what you will be speaking on at the Rally?
