The J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma, on Friday unveiled a 20-foot-tall Colt pistol made with LED lights. It being called the Big Red Gun.
The sculpture is part of Route 66 centennial celebrations this year.
KTUL-TV in nearby Tulsa reported:
The sculpture called the “Big Red Gun” will serve as a new attraction for travelers and residents that travel along the Mother Road.
The museum says the sculpture reflects its efforts to explore American history through the objects people create, collect and preserve, as well as the stories those objects tell.
Here’s more from after the unveiling. As you can see, the Big Red Gun is indeed red in the daytime, but the LED technology lets it change colors at night.
The museum contains more than 13,000 firearms, plus about 1,200 beer steins, 19th-century music boxes, Native American artifacts, swords, knives, antiques, boot jacks, cattle brands, horns and trophy heads.
Founder J.M. Davis first displayed a small gun collection in 1929 at the long-gone Mason Hotel along Route 66 in Claremore. His collection grew, and the museum to house it was opened in 1969, also along Route 66.
Davis died in 1973 at age 78. He and his wife are interred in the museum.