Dave,
Thank you for writing this! and NOT long winded!!! (Im the king of long winded around here
...but well expressed reflections on this important topic.
Actually as concerns articles and resources, your website has long been one I visit often in research, and have always been glad for the details you present, so thank you for having it there!
Here we are not just collectors, but a collective community interested in learning not just about the identification of a weapon, but its 'story'. For over two decades we have all joined to learn, and together. The result has been remarkable numbers of mysteries solved that prior had remained complacently held for generations, and the advancement of general knowledge on arms, archived here. I always hope there will be a means for its preservation.
The key words, caveat emptor should be the mantra of every collector, and the best weapon to guarantee its application is knowledge......which is what we together gain here.
All the best
Jim