Adrienne, and other contributors to this debate. I am curator of our State
Museum's arms & armour collection and fully understand your problem. I
tend to be regarded as a bit 'Gung-ho' as an ex-Commando and SAS officer,
but I would always err on the side of safety. Preservation of the artifact
and the public are of equal importance. Our Registrar shudders every time
time I mention live firing and we go into a huddle - and then we reach a
compromise. So if you are put under ultimate pressure by the PR lot
consider substitution. Get the VIP to bring one of his other guns if you
really are up against the wall. Scienceworks launched a book I wrote last
year about historic cannon in our State and I wanted to fire muskets and a
cannon. It became a media event - but we used an historic re-enact group
to fire THEIR muskets and THEIR cannon.

On the question of the Use of Sitting Bull's weapon in the interests of
science - I would have been reticent. Generals fire very few if any shots
themselves when commanding a battle! But, our State police forensic
science laboratory have in the past borrowed from the collection to type
a bullett.I am sure other museums would have experience of this activity.

Adrienne, I think you have prompted a very important debate, one we can
all learn from - well done.

Regards Bill Billett

Curator, Arms & Armour, Scienceworks, Museum of Victoria.