About the American Custom Gunmakers Guild
The American Custom Gunmakers Guild (ACGG) is an incorporated nonprofit organization that came into existence in 1983 at the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Phoenix. 76 charter members joined at that time. Current membership is approximately 500 (125 of which are Regular Members).
The concept for a Guild was conceived in the minds of Steve Billeb and John Maxson who surveyed and found interest and support among the nationally known artists queried. The purpose was to create a viable association of craftspeople actively engaged in custom gunmaking (stockmaking, metalsmithing and related areas) for the exchange of ideas, views, techniques, to increase public awareness and appreciation for fine quality custom firearms and to generally advance custom gunmaking as an accepted art form.
The Guild strives to promote standards of excellence. Regular Membership by craftspeople is only obtained after submitting work for inspection and acceptance at the annual meeting by current members present. High ethical standards are mandatory and an ethics committee was mandated by the bylaws for the sole purpose of resolving disputes. Offenders are subject to dismissal.
While the American Custom Gunmakers Guild is fortunate to have many of the world’s finest craftspeople as Regular Members, the broad diversity of our general membership dictates that we make no endorsement of any member’s level of expertise beyond that required for initial acceptance to the Guild.
The affairs of the association are conducted by the executive committee comprising a board of seven directors and four officers consisting of president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. An executive director administers the details of the association.
While many people have contributed to the development and history of the Guild, the Distinguished Service Award recognizes those individuals who have done outstanding service to the organization and membership.
For disclosure on association information, check out public records available on www.guidestar.org.
The membership welcomes your interest. You are invited to join as an Associate and enjoy the fellowship of others who appreciate firearms crafted from exquisite wood and fine metal with design and attention to every detail. If you are a craftsperson interested in Regular Membership please contact us for details about the application process. You must be an Associate for one year prior to applying for Regular Membership.
