Firearms Research Center at UW Receives Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation Donation

The Firearms Research Center (FRC), housed in the University of Wyoming College of Law, has received a $25,000 donation from the Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation.

“The Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation is proud to partner with the Firearms Research Center and its efforts to educate and provide valuable resources to students, staff and the community at large,” says Laura Bucholz, president of the Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation. “Through this donation, which is made in memory of my late husband, Kurt S. Bucholz, we are supporting the center’s focus on public education and history as well as their dedication to community mental health initiatives. Thanks to partnerships made in the private and public sector, the FRC is making a huge difference, and we are excited to help advance its mission.”

Launched in 2023, the FRC is a privately funded research center that works to foster a broad discourse and produce meaningful change in how firearms and the Second Amendment are discussed and understood in America through research, scholarship, legal training and publicly available resources.

“The Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation is a longtime supporter of the University of Wyoming, and we are fortunate to be included in their legacy of generosity,” says Ashley Hlebinsky, executive director of the FRC. “With these resources, we will fund events and initiatives that educate, inspire and save lives.”

About the Firearms Research Center

The FRC, which is housed in UW’s College of Law, was founded in 2023 by UW legal scholar George Mocsary and firearms historian Ashley Hlebinsky to establish more voices in the firearms discussion, create a pipeline of graduates prepared to serve as firearms lawyers and act as a reliable, nonpartisan resource for firearms-related information.

By bringing together scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines and experts without traditional academic backgrounds, the FRC’s aim is to foster a broad discourse and produce meaningful change in how firearms are discussed and understood. The center serves as a resource for academics, practitioners, lawmakers, members of the media and the public on the uses and roles of firearms in society -- both past and present.

For more information, visit www.firearmsresearchcenter.org.