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This American LAD Has Enough Weapons To Supply A Small Army

This American LAD Has Enough Weapons To Supply A Small Army

Woah.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

America is known for its love of its Constitution, and in particular the Second Amendment. Added in 1791, it confirms 'the right of the people to keep and bear arms'.

And boy, does Mel Bernstein utilise that. An avid gun collector, he owns a firing range and a war museum at his property in Colorado Springs. Also known as the Dragon Man, he has more than 200 machine guns and 80 epic military vehicles.

Mel standing next to his tank
Mel standing next to his tank

Credit: Facebook/Dragonman's

Mel with all his guns
Mel with all his guns

Credit: Facebook/Dragonman's

People come from all over the country to see his collection and hopefully get a tour. He has nearly 38,000 followers on Facebook, some of whom marvel at the range of weapons laid out on site. According to The Gazette, it takes about two hours to see everything that Bernstein has to offer - his collection is reportedly worth about $10 million (£7.8 million).

It includes a lot of military memorabilia, dating from World War One to the Vietnam War. The 71-year-old has also installed a replica bunker from the Second World War, as well as a room filled with more general souvenirs from the 1960s, including neon lighting, old Coca-Cola signs, old-school petrol pumps and Elvis collectables.

Mel's war memorabilia
Mel's war memorabilia

Credit: Facebook/Dragonman's

Mel's memorabilia from the 1960s
Mel's memorabilia from the 1960s

Credit: Facebook/Dragonman's

But how the hell do you get into that sort of collecting?

The story begins in Bernstein's late teens. He was drafted to the Vietnam War at the tender age of 18, but was stationed in Texas to work on weapons. Later, in the 1980s, he developed quite a popular motorcycle shop in New York, before relocating the business to Colorado.

Mel with his daughter Melissa
Mel with his daughter Melissa

Mel with his daughter Melissa. Credit: Facebook/Dragonman's

Mel had big dreams of selling powerful guns, opening a paintball arena and building up his weapon collection. He was helped with this by his wife, Terry, who ran the business side of things. She sadly died in 2012, when she was hit by two smoke bombs while filming a reality show about Dragon Land. Now he has his daughter, Melissa, working as the business manager.

His collection is incredibly impressive - still, looking at the size of his armoury, you probably wouldn't want to wind up on his bad side.

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Dragonman's

Topics: weapons

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