Saturday night in Birmingham Alabama.
Guy in a mask enters McDonald’s and begins shooting for motive unknown. Father pulls his concealed carry and gives the masked gunman the only thing such a man deserves, return fire.
Gunman: 0
Dad: 1
The father and one of his sons got hit in the gunfight but they will recover just fine. Masked man died at the hospital and is no great loss to society.
Carry everywhere you can. Be proficient in using your carry weapon. If you get hurt keep fighting.
On Saturday morning an anti-semitic piece of human trash shot up the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburg.
Robert Bowers, 46.
He hates Jews.
He hates President Trump, who he says is a Jewish collaborator or some other such tin foil hat nonsense.
He probably hates President Obama too.
And Hispanics, definitely hates them.
The man claims the Jews are responsible for the hispanic caravan that is coming to “invade” the U.S. As if another 7,000 illegals would tip the low/high 10-30 million here already into some kind of free fall.
Ultimately this is about remembering what Bower’s is… A piece of shit.
Robert Bowers, the monster who took the lives of 11, several old enough to remember The Holocaust in their lifetime, is nothing special. He is a violent outlier and the rare people like him will always be a threat.
Violent outliers may have a different name for their motivations but the result is the same. Bowers is not different from Kelley. Not different from Roof. No different than Farook and Malik. All chose for their personal reasons and beliefs to commit terrible violence and void themselves of their humanity.
It really is that simple. Violence is the commonality. There will always be a terrible few who will willingly shed their humanity for a motivation.
On the day that occurs there is only one option left. Be the one who is better at violence. Be one who saves lives. By the gun, by the sword, by the fist, by trauma and aid to the injured.
Do not give these outliers the fight. The day is not for them even though they tried to take it.
Oct, 27 is for them.
Bower’s is just a lesson to remember and then a name to forget.
More here from CNN.
Nighthawk Custom builds some of the finest quality 1911’s to grace the earth.
“One gun. One gunsmith.” The company is dedicated to the quality and satisfaction of their buyers.
Their newest entry into the illustrious Boardroom lineup is The President.
Ballistic Magazine has spent some time with The President. They have some thoughts on this executive grade take on the Browning classic.
At the peak of Nighthawk’s creations is its Boardroom series. The first addition to the series came last year in the form of the Chairman, which, as expected, ran perfectly when tested. Now comes the second member of the Boardroom: the Nighthawk Custom President.
The President is a standard 5-inch Government Model version of the Chairman.
See the full article here at Ballistic Magazine and enjoy the video.
SIG is giving away a P226!
Do you want it?
Of course you do. I do and I own a few already.
Newington, N.H. (October 26, 2018) – The SIG SAUER P226 is the pistol that set the standard by which all other combat handguns are measured and is widely carried by military units, federal agencies, and law enforcement throughout the world. Register today for your chance to win the P226 NITRON sweepstakes by visiting sigsauer.com/promotions now through October 30, 2018 to participate in this promotion.
The SIG SAUER P226 NITRON sweepstakes features a full-size 9mm pistol with an aluminum frame and black anodized finish, a Nitron coated stainless steel slide, a one-piece ergonomic grip, SIGLITE Night Sights, double action/single action trigger, and an integrated SIG Rail.
There’s no purchase necessary to enter. For full contest rules, terms, and conditions visit sigsauer.com/promotions.
About SIG SAUER, Inc.
| SIG SAUER, Inc. is a leading provider and manufacturer of firearms, electro-optics, ammunition, airguns, suppressors, and training. For over 100 years SIG SAUER, Inc. has evolved, and thrived, by blending American ingenuity, German engineering, and Swiss precision. Today, SIG SAUER is synonymous with industry-leading quality and innovation which has made it the brand of choice amongst the U.S. Military, the global defense community, law enforcement, competitive shooters, hunters, and responsible citizens. Additionally, SIG SAUER is the premier provider of elite firearms instruction and tactical training at the SIG SAUER Academy – a world class, state-of-the-art, 140-acre training facility. SIG SAUER is headquartered in Newington, New Hampshire, and has more than 1,700 employees across eight locations, and is the largest member of a worldwide business group that includes SIG SAUER GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. For more information about the company and product line visit: sigsauer.com. |
50 Years later and after the FOPA had to roll back some of the onerous arbitrary TIME is looking back on the Gun Control Act turning 50.
From TIME –
“Better than nothing.”
“Forget the democratic processes, the judicial system and the talent for organization that have long been the distinctive marks of the U.S. Forget, too, the affluence (vast, if still not general enough) and the fundamental respect for law by most Americans. Remember, instead, the Gun,” the magazine had notedearlier that year, in a cover story about the role of guns in the United States, which was prompted by the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. “All too widely, the country is regarded as a blood-drenched, continent-wide shooting range where toddlers blast off with real rifles, housewives pack pearl-handled revolvers, and political assassins stalk their victims at will. The image, of course, is wildly overblown, but America’s own mythmakers are largely to blame. In U.S. folklore, nothing has been more romanticized than guns and the larger-than-life men who wielded them. From the nation’s beginnings, in fact and fiction, the gun has been provider and protector.”
In brief, TIME still hearts all the gun control.
They haven’t seen a restriction they didn’t love and you can see it in the tone of the full article. Personal rights and choking a constitutional freedom be damned.
Gun grabbers always be grabbin’.
The United States Army is pursuing future tech with a vengeance right now.
From Army.mil.
The Army is slated to release the newest Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular to a select number of combat units sometime in fiscal year 2019, according to the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team officials.
The new system doubled qualification score, tripled detection awareness, and cut time to engagement in half. The new NV/Thermal system does what no generation of optical systems in the past has. It gives the soldiers
Additionally the Army is chasing a new carbine and a new squad automatic. Furthermore in a new caliber which headquarters has stated will be a 6.8mm
Coinciding with the new squad rifle system, PEO-Soldier recently released a “draft Prototype-Opportunity Notice” to help develop a 6.8mm common bullet cartridge, Potts added. The goal is to have lethal effects on targets beyond 300 meters. The Phase II Prototype Opportunity will ask vendors to propose an automatic rifle, a rifle and a common cartridge.
6.8mm has often be toughted as a optimum ballistic solution. Systems dating back to the 50’s were looking at intermediate cartridges. But these efforts were derailed by the United States’ marriage to the M1 and the .30 caliber.
This isn’t the first, third, or even I believe fifth attempt at a new service rifle for the armed forces. However previous systems were less radical in their overarching change. The degree of change now may result in a completed contract.
While many of us like to show up at training events with friends, or make new ones at them, learning is generally still thought of as a solo activity. We enjoy beers after class and “like” each other’s InstaBook pictures in the weeks following, but learning and training together not under the eyes of a watchful instructor? Not so much.
In 2018, I will be a student for somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 hours of firearms and self-defense training. I train to build my personal skills, to build my skills as an instructor, and to keep an eye on what’s out there in the training world. It’s important to me to have personal experience with a wide variety of instructors so that I can speak to their work more specifically and so that I can understand the field as a whole more fully. Plus, like you, I enjoy training with my friends. What I do with them between class weekends is even more enjoyable and important, though, and not just because of the epic after-hours shenanigans.
Having a broad background and continued new inputs are necessary parts of the inquiry process of learning. It’s an open-ended process that requires an open approach to broad questions, digging deep into a subject matter, and gaining a deep understanding that informs conclusions that themselves may be further questioned as new information becomes available. Inquiry is neither finite nor static, but rather a continual journey of investigation.
Learning via inquiry isn’t a solo activity, though, and it goes far beyond the classroom (or, in my case, the range). New facts and skills need to be acquired from somewhere (or rather, someone). Formal training and education is only one route to do so, and is best paired with a more interactive and collaborative approach. This is especially true because knowledge doesn’t just slot into existing frameworks; it needs to be integrated into the cohesive whole that makes up the entirety of a person’s knowledge base. Deep discussion, particularly with subject matter experts and experts in related fields, can increase every participant’s understanding.
One of the ways that I filter my experiences and work through the inquiry process is through an informal version of what educators call a Community of Inquiry (CoI):
“A critical community of learners, from an educational perspective, is composed of teachers and students transacting with the specific purposes of facilitating, constructing, and validating understanding, and of developing capabilities that will lead to further learning. Such a community encourages cognitive independence and social interdependence simultaneously.” (Garrison, Randy & Terry Anderson, (2003). E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice, 2003, p. 23.)
I do this because my Community of Inquiry helps me contextualize my observations and critically examine them. Whether that means I’ve learned something that bolsters what I already knew, or need to reshape what I thought I knew, is a question that can sometimes only be answered through the inquiry process possible in this type of community. My Community of Inquiry helps me bat around ideas to ensure that what I have to say is objectively defensible and as free as possible from personal biases. A gut check for my gut check, if you will.
There are three defining qualities that turn a group of people into a Community of Inquiry: social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence. The first is what you might expect in any community: trustworthy interpersonal relationships between individuals. The second is where the shift starts happening from “friends hanging out together” to “people doing work together” – intellectually honest and penetrating discussion, specifically that focused on an academic or professional field. But talking about work isn’t enough to make a group of people a Community of Inquiry without the final element of a teaching presence which focuses the community on the goal of finding the best possible answers to tough questions.
At base, Communities of Inquiry work because they are a sustained group of individuals with an investment in the community. Cognitive and social presence are key elements of these types of communities, and that requires engaged participants in a sustained group relationship. Continued involvement and the construction of a true community, with all of the types of ties that implies, result in the kind of virtual space that allows for absolute frankness. Because the inquiry process is often about asking the hard questions and not having answers going in, there is a vulnerability that is inherent in bringing the discussion part of the process into a Community of Inquiry. That’s why it’s so important that there be a culture of stability and privacy so that participants can trust in the integrity of the community.
It’s possible, of course, for a Community of Inquiry to devolve into a groupthink echo chamber. This is especially true when participants are unwilling to authentically challenge each other in an environment where open communication is the rule. In a formal Community of Inquiry, the teachers lead the process of creating this type of atmosphere; in my community, it is the responsibility of all participants as we trade off on who may be an authority in a particular subtopic or who is coming in as the inquirer on a specific issue. A culture of respect for each member’s knowledge and skills, in what they can bring to the table in a conversation, is a big part of making this sort of organically grown Community of Inquiry work.
The inquiry process that this type of community facilitates demands an open mindset. It’s an investigative journey that starts with the sort of questions that dig deep beyond the whats and into the whys and hows. It continues with data gathering, evaluation, and critical analysis. Discussion is an integral part of the process, necessary to more clearly articulate hypotheses and test them in friendly – though perhaps vociferous – argument to arrive at a more complete understanding of the problem posted and, perhaps, answers to those initial questions. Conclusions may be guessed at, but they aren’t foregone.
Community of Inquiry participants must fully and authentically engage with each other for the inquiry process to work. That requires a willingness to pose questions of all types, and to challenge them in ways small and large. And that requires a space where the process can take place without interference, because getting from beginning to end may require delicate and difficult conversations that meander in a way that would not be easily understood without full immersion in the community.
I’ve been fortunate to have fallen into a CoI that’s been enormously productive for me, giving me access to a wide variety of subject matter experts who are truly dedicated to the inquiry mindset. The important part of the equation isn’t necessarily what they already know, though, versus their willingness to pick apart what they and I think we know by continually asking questions and discussing their implications.
It’s that dedication to the inquiry process that, perhaps obviously, turns a community into a community of inquiry. A trustworthy group is an important element and one that is necessary for a community of inquiry to work, but it’s still only the start. Being willing to question even the most established group dogma and work through the conversations that lead to new conclusions? That’s the challenge.
The contentious and turbulent lawsuit against the iconic Remington over triggers in their 700 line of rifles is open for claims.
A special website has been set up with information on how to file a claim, and there is also a toll-free hotline, 1-800-876-5940.
Remington continues to maintain that the rifles are safe. The company submitted evidence in support of their claim, however they did not take this case before the Supreme Court by the Tuesday deadline.
The settlement covers an estimated 7.5 million guns dating back to 1948. In addition to the Model 700 rifle, the agreement covers Remington bolt-action rifle models Seven, Sportsman 78, 673, 710, 715, 770, 600, 660, 721, 722, 725, and the XP-100 bolt action pistol. Plaintiffs’ attorneys note that the settlement only covers economic losses from ownership of the allegedly defective guns. Other claims alleging personal injury or wrongful death can still go forward.
In most cases under the class action settlement, owners will be able to send or bring their guns to Remington or an authorized service center, where they will be retrofitted with a new trigger free of charge. There is no word on how long the repairs will take. However, Remington says some older models, specifically the 600, 660, 721, 722, 725, and XP-100, are too old to retrofit. In those cases, Remington will supply a product voucher worth as little as $10.
Full story from CNBC here.
Everyone who reads my blather has recognized by now that I am a pretty no-nonsense kind of woman, right? I shop the discount racks, I buy on sale, and I even have no qualms about wearing men’s long johns – especially if they are merino wool and half price. (Score!!!) And yes, I am old school and still call them long johns and not “base layers”.
So you’d think that “Big Marketing” would have figured out my tastes by now, right?
Let me tell you about what came across my newsfeed this morning. I’m not going to include a link or a photo, because I don’t want abominations like this to be encouraged or perpetuated.
Social media showed me an ad from some outfit with “Backcountry” in their name – so far so good – but the item they were showing me was – get this – an “Insulated Miniskirt”.
Yes, there apparently IS such a beast. For a premium price, one can even get one that is down-insulated. Let’s reiterate that – A down-insulated MINISKIRT! They marketed that to ME. Not only have I never worn a miniskirt in my life and at my age am not going to start now, but if I want to keep my hindquarters and ladybits warm, a miniskirt is not even in the top 20 logical choices.
I could launch into a tangent rant about the stupidity of female fashion, but instead I want to talk about marketing to women – because it carries over into the firearms and outdoors industry.
What kinds of algorithms and thought processes were going on behind the scenes that had the end-result of that showing up in my newsfeed? Who, at what outdoors company said – “Hey we want to draw in more women to our outdoor technical clothing – let’s try MINISKIRTS!” ? Because women don’t need comfortable technical outdoors wear that actually fits them and serves the sport or activity that they are actually doing – no, they need miniskirts instead?
The marketing of this product then apparently consisted of “Look, there’s a woman – let’s wave the miniskirt in front of her, and watch her come running!”. (They did get my click though and therefore I’ll probably have to block them from my feed from now on.)
This is akin to the “Pink it and Shrink it” mentality of the firearms industry a few years ago. This assumption that female humans are a single homogenous block who have a Pavlovian response to anything pink or “fashionable” is a persistent problem in the outdoor marketing world.
Things are slowly getting better, but abominations marketed to women, just because they are women, still exist. A certain stretchy atrocity masquerading as a “holster” comes to mind.
Women’s camo – when you can actually find some that doesn’t require you to pawn one of your children – has pink zipper pulls. Ummmm, because turkeys can’t see pink??
The outdoors industry is still a bit “size-ist” when it comes to marketing to women as well. Women make-up half the population of the world, and most of us are not a size 5. Indeed, most of us who have the disposable income to support an outdoors habit are middle-aged and have the middle-age spread to prove it.
By way of example, one particular company I interacted with last year carries men’s sizes for the large-waisted, but had nothing in women’s sizes which would fit me so that I could evaluate it. I am a 16-18, and their line runs small. So that company lost an opportunity. A recent search of their website looks like they may be learning that lesson and expanding their size range now.
Don’t get me wrong – the situation is exponentially better than it was ten years ago when I was getting started. Things HAVE improved, but we women are still a growing outdoor and hunting market. We have our own money and will stand in line for excellent products that fit us and meet our needs. Meet those needs and market to us appropriately and you will win… but insulated miniskirts are not the way to do it.
My Leatherneck brethren are up to sky shenanigans again.
A West Coast Marine Corps training squadron is investigating a pair of flight patterns flown over a lake in California on Tuesday that resemble male genitalia.
Marine officials confirmed that a T-34C aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 “flew an irregular flight pattern over the Salton Sea that resembled a phallic image.” The two-seat, low-wing turboprop aircraft is used by the Navy and Marine Corps to train new pilots.
The T-34 are trainer prop plane series. Unlike the first Sky Penis this one was done by flight path and not with visible exhaust. Does anyone really expect military personnel not to draw dicks at this point? C’mon. It is known.
It’s done in the Middle East to celebrate everything. It’s shown in movies all the time. You still can’t do it in real life. Don’t
From OAOA
An affidavit detailed a 32-year-old man was arrested after he reportedly discharged a firearm three times in West Odessa.
Epifanio Flotte was charged Saturday evening with deadly conduct discharge a firearm, a third-degree felony.
The Ector County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of 820 N. Webber Ave. at 9:20 p.m. Saturday, the affidavit stated. Flotte admitted in the affidavit to discharging the firearm twice in the air in the general direction of the residence of 820 N. Webber Ave. and once into the ground.
The United States Army has been trying to update their fitness test and standards for many years now. The new test is rapidly rolling down the pipeline and with it comes new equipment.
60 battalions are receiving the new equipment as an expanded BETA test of the standards. The Army needs to check injury rates and other complications live across a wide portion of the force.
Completion of this larger test will give the Army the data it needs to finalize pass/fail requirements.
Judge dismisses NRA lawsuit over Seattle’s new gun-storage law last Friday. In King County, Judge Barbara Linde dismissed the suit on technical grounds for now citing the law has yet to take effect.
In short the legislation mandates a firearm that is not directly controlled and carried must be secured. The NRA contended this violates a home owner’s 2A rights within the domain of their property. But the court cited the NRA’s own encouragement of safe and proper storage as part of the dismissal.
For now ‘Safe Storage’ mandates will be the law of the land in the Emerald City.
Full Seattle Times story here.
I never believed I would hear myself say that I was an archery hunter. This was just not on the radar for me up until a couple years ago. Picking up firearms skills later in life was a big enough accomplishment, but archery?
I’ll fess up to using a crossbow. It used to be that crossbows could only lawfully be used for hunting by the disabled, but increasingly state game agencies are allowing the use of crossbows by regular hunters during archery season. This was my personal impetus for giving bow season a try. My state legalized the use of crossbows about three years ago and I immediately got myself into an introductory class offered at a local outdoors store.
Although a crossbow throws an arrow or “bolt” rather than a bullet, the mechanics at the back end of the crossbow would be familiar to any rifle hunter. There is a stock, a scope, a safety, and a trigger. This is what drew me in – at least half of the contraption was stuff I already knew. That made it less intimidating for me. True archery skills can take months or years to polish, but crossbow fundamentals can be learned in a few days if you already have rifle skills.
Some purists in archery circles may protest that crossbows are not “traditional”. This may be true. Though crossbows are relatively new on the hunting scene in the U.S. there is archeological evidence for crossbows dating back to the 6th century BC in China.
There are two basic designs for crossbows – recurve and compound – with some variations of each expanding the choices. These basically mirror the differences between handheld recurve and compound bows.
There is some new terminology to learn when talking about crossbows, too. Terms like “cam” and “draw weight” were complete unknowns to me before I took my class. But I took the time to learn the terms so that I could shop intelligently. Barnett Crossbows has a nice glossary on their site, with explanations.
It’s important to find an archery shop that you can trust and which can do repairs and maintenance of your crossbow if you need it. Don’t buy just anything sitting on the shelf at the big box store. If you wouldn’t buy a gun that way, then don’t buy a crossbow that way. Ask around for a shop that archers recommend.
When I went crossbow shopping three or so years ago, I settled on a Ten Point brand compound crossbow – because I’m a buy once/cry once kind of gal. You are going to spend some money for a good quality crossbow, so don’t think that archery season will necessarily be a “cheaper” option than rifle. In fact, while trying to be budget-friendly with my own purchase I actually sold a Colt AR done in Muddy Girl that I was not using, and put that money toward my new crossbow.
I chose a model that has the added feature of a built-in integral crank mechanism with which to cock the bow, rather than using the traditional cocking method of brute force or a rope cocker. I am short statured and short armed, so I opted for that little extra weight at the back in exchange for the ability to cock the crossbow even when I’m seventy years old.
Just as with any other new undertaking there are all sorts of “extras” that you can buy but that aren’t really essential to get started. I found that the essentials for me were extra arrows, a target bag, a laser range finder, some lubricant, and a case. The range finder was an essential for me, because I’m poor at estimating distance. Knowing the shot distance is important for aiming using the scope reticle, and also critical for making an ethical shot.
Archery hunting takes a bit more preparation and planning, because the shot opportunities are closer-range than for rifle hunting. Many archers feel that an ethical shot with a crossbow should be within about 40 yards in order to have the power for a killing shot. Some crossbows are more powerful than others though, and the technology is advancing. Just don’t assume that you’ll be able to take rifle-distance shots with a crossbow. Closer range shots mean getting physically closer to your game, and that can be where the actual challenge lies.
But that doesn’t mean that your choice of game is limited. As long as your crossbow has the power and you have the will, everything from hogs to elk can be literally on the table.
Mostly it’s about committing to taking the plunge on something new. Then practice, practice, practice. So don’t let being intimidated by a traditional bow stop you from trying out archery season. Give crossbow a try. It might be the transition bridge you’ve been looking for.
CHICAGO — Speaking to the 2018 Gun Rights Policy Conference, A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) Executive Director Robyn Sandoval declared that she is “taking the word ‘Mom’ back” from Moms Demand Action. Sandoval, whose youngest child is battling brain cancer, described the qualities of a mother as a fighter and protector.
In her speech, Sandoval emphasized the need to initiate conversations with others in order to advocate for gun rights. She explained four archetypes of people and how to tailor advocacy messages to them in order to encourage their engagement and understanding. According to Sandoval, “Even the strongest most-fervent antigunner fits into one these categories, and by listening, you can usually craft a no into a yes.” She inspired the audience to educate people to embrace the best tools and practices for their families’ safety.
Following is the script of Sandoval’s speech:
Hi, my name is Robyn Sandoval. My title is Executive Director of A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League. Last year I spoke to this Conference about the great work that A Girl & A Gun is doing to provide quality training and certification programs for women. This year I’d like to talk with you about another title of mine, which is the title of Mom. This title is far more personal and is also the lens through which I view the world. I have two incredible sons and a daughter, who is my hero. She is smart, funny, and beautiful, and at eight years old, she is the woman I want to be when I grow up. She is confident, wise, and strong, and has taught me what it means to be a fighter.
It’s been three years since she was diagnosed with brain cancer. When doctors tell you that your baby has cancer, you go to war. You arm yourself with knowledge, raise an army of support, surrounding yourself with experts with the best tools and practices. She has lost her vision completely over the past three years, so we have a new lifestyle with new routines and habits. I had the fighter mindset that I was going to face it head-on and do whatever I could to keep her safe. Many of you relate to that mindset because it’s the same that we have as gun owners. Arming ourselves with tools and knowledge to keep our families safe.
And that’s why I’m taking the word Mom back. Moms Demand Action has taken that word from me, and I want it back. They’ve taken lots of words from us, like “common sense” and “safe space.” Those are our words and I’m reclaiming them.
To me a Mom is having the fighter mindset. I’m not afraid to have hard conversations… topics and situations may be scary, but I don’t bury my head in the sand. I can’t avoid talking with my daughter’s oncologists about her health, and I don’t shy away from talking with school administrators about my children’s safety, either. We need real solutions to hard problems, both actual and perceived, and I’m proud to be one of those leaders who are stepping forward.
Being a mom is not only how I advocate for gun rights, it’s also how I instruct. When I’m on the range, I use my mom voice. This tone ensures that there is a safe firing line and everyone is following the safety rules. Nothing bad will happen on my watch. At the same time, the mom voice is the cheerleader voice, the welcoming voice, the encouraging and supportive voice, understanding someone’s fear and celebrating in their victories. The mom voice is also the one that gets people to the range in the first place.
Having conversations with nongunners, antigunners, and even progunners that do not frequent the range — men and women — is also what I do. I connect with them, hear their stories, and share my experiences. At A Girl & A Gun, we’ve recognized that there are four archetypes of people. Even the strongest most-fervent antigunner fits into one these categories, and by listening, you can usually craft a no into a yes.
The Superstar. Superstars want to jump in and have fun! They are searching for badassery. To them, this may be having the most expensive shotgun, tagging the biggest buck, burning down a 3-gun stage in the fastest time, or doing something impressive, like being the only chick in a training class of Special Ops guys. The Superstar may be spontaneous, so don’t overload them with info and plans. Flattery will get you everywhere, so extend an invitation when there’s an opportunity for your Superstar to shine. For the nongunner or antigunner, focus the conversation on fun, competition, opportunity, excitement, and aspects they will think are cool.
The Inquisitor. This person will ask a million questions to have answers for any possible scenario because they need to have a plan. They need to know the whys, hows, and what-ifs. Credentials are important to them, so make sure they know your training background and if you don’t have the title or training behind you, bring in some big guns that do or you won’t get very far with an Inquisitor. Inquisitors love checklists. On our website, AGirlandAGun.org we have checklists for many different scenarios…what to take if you’re going to the range, what to take if you’re going to a match, what to take if you’re taking a newbie to the range, etc. They are very cautious about learning from someone or doing something that could be wrong.
The Know-It-All. This person needs to be the smartest guy in the room. He or she won’t believe that you may understand a skill or issue better than they do; and may find your knowledge threatening. To win over a Know-It-All, you have to go geek. They love research and development, logic, and most of all, self-mastery, so give them opportunities to feel smart. They can be won over with facts, but not right away. They may need a class (or two or three) before they ever pull a trigger.
Social Butterfly. Social Butterflies need collaboration and teamwork, and they need to feel like what they’re doing is making a difference. Social Butterflies love that they are securing a legacy for their children through their 2nd Amendment rights, and they enjoy supporting nonprofits and important programs like FASTER in schools. They love fostering a community of like-minded people that are working to arm, educate, and inspire people.
Over the past eight years, A Girl & A Gun has brought thousands of people into shooting. There is a yes hidden in every no, whether its budget, time, lack of understanding, or another obstacle that can be addressed. Having hard conversations — and changing nos to yeses — first starts with listening. You have to know who you’re talking to. You will waste your time trying to teach MILs and MOA to a Superstar; save that info for the Know-It-All and just get the Superstar pinging steel and feeling empowered. Don’t rush the Inquisitor to the range; give him a plan to make him feel successful.
It’s catering your message to your audience so that you can have the biggest effect. It’s using your mom voice (both as instructor and cheerleader) to help people embrace the best tools and practices for their families’ safety.
It’s taking the word Mom back… and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa and Guardian… so that together we can secure our gun rights for future generations.
Thank you.
Video can be found on the Second Amendment Foundation Facebook page beginning at 24:12.
About A Girl & A Gun
A Girl & A Gun (AG & AG) is a membership organization whose events have been successful stepping stones for thousands of women into the shooting community and fostered their love of shooting with caring and qualified instructors to coach them. AG & AG breaks barriers for women and girls in the area of self-defense and in pistol, rifle, and shotgun shooting sports by welcoming beginners to learn the basics of safe and accurate shooting and providing experienced shooters with advanced-level opportunities. The club has more than 5,500 members in 48 states and hosts recurring Girl’s Nights Out at more than 180 ranges throughout the nation. Learn more at AGirlandAGun.org.
SOURCE ARTICLE: https://www.agirlandagun.org/a-girl-a-gun-director-im-taking-the-word-mom-back-from-moms-demand-action/
