Bruce Stern (September 25, 1942 – July 18, 2007) was an American attorney and gun collector. He served on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America.[1]
Stern graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1964 and earned his J.D. at NYU, and his master's degree at the University of Bridgeport.[1] A Captain in the U.S. Army, Stern was a Vietnam veteran, serving at Long Binh, and was a member of American Legion Post 141.[2] In addition to his legal career, Stern was the founder and president of the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen,[citation needed] and a contributing writer to its magazine, Hook 'N' Bullet.[citation needed] He died on July 18, 2007.[3]
Stern amassed an historically significant collection of more than 4,000 rare and high-condition military firearms.[4] These were disposed of in a series of auctions following his death.[5] One session set a new world record of $12.7M for the highest grossing firearms auction, although firearms from Stern's collection only formed part of that auction.[6]
After his death, Stern's collection achieved a legendary status online due to its size and quality, but also in part due to a series of photographs circulating since at least 2008. The images of an extensive gun room and museum-grade collection have been variously attributed to Stern,[7] Charlton Heston,[8] and Robert Starer of Historic Arms in Virginia.[9] However, a 2009 investigation by Snopes did not establish a connection between the collection and any of these individuals.[9]