Bass Pro Shops Springfield Museum

The NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri, celebrated an incredible milestone Dec. 28, 2016, welcoming the 1 millionth visitor to the museum since opening its doors in 2013.

Tray Carter, joined by his wife Tracie and their sons Preston and Sam, from West Memphis, Arkansas became visitor number 1 million during a visit to the museum at 2:30 p.m., on the late-December Wednesday. To commemorate the historic feat, the museum presented the Carters with limited-edition coins minted for the occasion, a leather-bound edition of “Treasures of the NRA National Firearms Museum” signed by author and NRA Museums Director Jim Supica and the co-authors, a Bass Pro Shops gift certificate, and other keepsakes.

After the gift presentation, NRA National Sporting Arms Museum Manager Stoney Roberts provided a 2.5-hour guided tour of the museum, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the “Granddaddy of all Bass Pro Shops” with Pete Duchrow, the store’s Manager of Operations.

NRA National Sporting Arms Museum Manager Stoney Robert (far left) and Bass Pro Shops Manager of Operations Pete Duchrow (far right) congratulate the Carter family from West Memphis, Arkansas, as the 1 millionth visitors to the museum.

The Carter family said the event and the attention they received “made them feel honored and special, ” calling the experience “something they’d never forget.”

In addition to the special honors bestowed upon the Carters, the museum also presented three additional signed leather-bound copies of “Treasures” to guests at intervals of 100 visitors, as well as 25 commemorative coins, one per guests at intervals of every 50 visitors, the following day.

Roberts said the museum welcomes approximately 274, 000 visitors annually, or about 25, 000 each month with surges in traffic during the holiday season.

“Visitors come from all corners of America and from all over the world, ” Roberts said. “We have a local travel agency that arranges museum tours for visitors from mainland China, and we regularly see guest book entries from France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria and most other countries where people are free to travel. “

Supica added that the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops is the most visited firearms museum in the U.S.