America’s 1st Freedom readers are likely among the best-informed people in the country when it comes to our Second Amendment freedom. With that knowledge comes the realization that if we don’t all do our part now, our freedom can quickly be lost, leaving our children and grandchildren to face an America without their right to keep and bear arms. President Ronald Reagan (R) put it best when he said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
Fortunately, there are many things we can do to preserve our liberty, and chief among them is bringing new people into the fold of gun ownership and Second Amendment advocacy. Without owning a gun, it’s hard to truly practice or even to truly understand your Second Amendment freedoms. With that in mind, let’s briefly explore some ways to introduce friends, family and acquaintances to the Second Amendment lifestyle we enjoy and appreciate.
1. Share a Gun-Store Visit
Robin Evans owns the female-based self-defense company Chicks with Triggers in Greenville, S.C. She has helped a lot of new shooters choose their first guns—often a daunting task when attempted alone—by going to gun shops with them and walking them through the process. Consequently, she has some advice for those who might accompany a prospective gun owner.
“Be encouraging and do not belittle,” she said. “Don’t let people bully your friend into guns that they’re not ready for. Don’t let them be bullied into calibers that they’re not ready for. Guns are a very emotional thing, so you have to keep in mind that just because you know everything about guns and you feel confident and secure, they don’t.”
Evans stressed that those accompanying new people on a first gun shop foray should remember their job is one of supporting their friend or acquaintance.
“Seasoned gun owners should have patience with the newbies because it’s already intimidating,” she said. “So don’t intimidate them more and don’t force them into buying something they don’t like.”
2. Share a Day on the Range
Evans also emphasized that a first range visit can be just as intimidating as a first trip to a gun shop. But it can be made easier if an experienced friend makes that visit with them. She has accompanied many people on their first range visit and shared with us some very practical advice on making that expedition a successful one.
“I tell people all the time, if you’re going to take someone to the range for the first time, go in the morning when they first open,” said Evans. “That’s when mostly senior citizens are there, and they know what they’re doing. If you go later in the afternoon and evening when it gets very crowded, then it’s overwhelming because you never know who’s in the booth next to you and what their experience level is. When the crowd is smaller, the staff can also help you more if you need it.
“Also, be proactive in inviting new people to the range, but be understanding and don’t be pushy. Understand that this is a baby-step process,” said Evans.
3. Take a Class Together
Doug Williams is an NRA-certified instructor who runs Central Illinois Concealed Carry in Peoria, Ill. He and his training staff teach classes in several disciplines to about 800 people a year.
“I think it’s super important to get good instruction from the start,” said Williams. “Obviously, safety is the first thing we teach. The NRA rules of safe gun handling apply at all times. Once we’ve got the safety aspect addressed, then we can progress into good foundations and the principles of shooting.”
Williams said it’s important for shooters who are bringing a new person along to find a good instructor, as there are some who spread misinformation or just don’t know what they’re talking about.
“How many classes they are offering tells you how seriously they’re taking it,” he said. “Plus, you should look at who they are certified with. They absolutely should be NRA certified. The NRA offers certificate instructor ratings in every single platform of firearms and is the gold standard in training.”
4. Buy Them an NRA Membership
Keith Mark, founder of Hunter Nation, thinks that if you truly believe in freedom and the NRA, you’ll put your money where your mouth is.
“I have three kids, and on Christmas, I always try to do something America-themed,” said Mark. “One year, I gave my wife and all three of my kids Life Memberships to the NRA. Now my grandkids are going to be 8, 6 and 3, so when they get to probably 10, 8 and 5, I’ll give them all Life memberships, too.”
Mark wouldn’t do that with just any organization. But, from his perspective, the NRA has always been, and still is, the most important organization in the country protecting our right to keep and bear arms.
“I’ve said this a million times: If there’s only going to be one freedom- oriented organization in America, it needs to be the NRA,” he said. “It is the longest-standing, pro-God, family and country organization around, and many times it has been the only thing that stood between us and the Second Amendment being stripped from us.”
5. Take Them to a Friends of NRA Banquet
Friends of NRA is the premier fundraising program of The NRA Foundation. Each year, more than 600 Friends of NRA banquets are held throughout the country, and they are excellent avenues for introducing others to our unique freedom and organization; after all, who doesn’t like great food, excellent company and the chance to win guns?
A few years back, I had several coworkers who seemed like they wanted to try shooting, but they were never available when I invited them. The company I worked for had sponsored a table at the local Friends of NRA banquet, so I decided to use that as an icebreaker to try to bring my coworkers “into the fold.” Four of them came, and two of them won guns that night, so they were immediately new gun owners. The others couldn’t stop talking about how friendly everyone was and how great a time they had. Since then, all are much more positive about guns, gun ownership and gun rights.
6. Take a Kid Hunting
It’s likely that nobody in the country has introduced more kids to hunting than John Annoni, founder of Camp Compass Academy in Allentown, Pa. Over the past several decades, that organization, with lifelong educator Annoni at the helm, has taken several hundred youth from knowing nothing about guns and hunting to harvesting their first deer, turkey or other game animal.
Annoni said one thing that people need to realize is that really helping a youngster become a hunter takes a lot of time, not just a few hours here and there.
“The number one pitfall in starting kids hunting, I would say, is a lack of commitment as far as the length of time,” he said. “Let’s just use Pennsylvania turkey season, for example. You know, I’m committed to those hours because that’s how long turkey season is for our kids. And anybody can do that. But then I look at the commitment to the length of time and I realize there’s a turkey season, a deer season, a rabbit season, a pheasant season, a goose season, a dove season and a duck season. But if hunting is so special to you, why aren’t you sharing it so it can be special to somebody else?”
7. Take an Adult Hunting
My daughter’s boyfriend, Parker, grew up mostly without a father figure and never had the opportunity to hunt. I foolishly felt that since I had introduced my four kids to the sport, all of whom are still avid hunters, that I had done my part.
Finally, I realized how selfish that was. Since he lives on a property that holds deer, my wife and I bought him a ground blind for Christmas. The property is in the city limits where shooting a firearm isn’t allowed, so my daughter bought him a crossbow that same Christmas.
After helping him learn the rules of safety and how to shoot accurately and sharing some basic info on hunting, he and I finally climbed into the blind two days before the season closed. Within 15 minutes, he’d scored on a small buck with a perfect heart shot! The next season, he killed a nice 10-point in a different spot that he scouted and set up himself. He’s hooked for life and plans to begin hunting with a rifle this season, completing the circle.
8. Take Them to a Competition
Many people are competitive by nature, and an introduction to competition shooting can sometimes be what brings them into the fold. Dianna Muller has been a professional Three-Gun competitor for more than a decade and has seen many new shooters become involved because of their introduction to competitive shooting.
Muller said that it’s often best to take a new person to a competition where they don’t actually compete but instead help to run the match.
“I would recommend for anybody to go out and volunteer to help, then learn some of the ground rules and some of the safety rules and some of the gaming aspect of the competition while helping,” she said. “That’s going to give them confidence and the experience to go back and shoot a first match with a lot less anxiety.
“Also, if you’re going to invite somebody to shoot a match, make sure that you plan on shepherding them and giving them the most positive experience possible. Just know that it’s going to diminish your time because they need your attention.”
9. Share Your Second Amendment Activism
Former gun-shop owner Cheryl Todd is the co-host, along with her husband Danny, of Gun Freedom Radio and a state director of Women for Gun Rights. During the Obama administration, Cheryl found that anti-gun rhetoric coming from the White House made some of her friends look at her differently. That led her on a journey to do a deep dive into the Second Amendment.
Since then, she has talked about the right to keep and bear arms on the radio, to various groups, on the floor of the Arizona legislature and in the halls of Congress. She believes all gun owners should share the truth about the Second Amendment with anyone who will listen.
“I don’t have any dramatic story to tell, but I quickly realized that each one of us does have a unique voice that will resonate with others,” she said. “You don’t have to be a gun owner to appreciate the Second Amendment. Keep your mind open that you’re not always going to be talking to people who already have the tools. It’s more about the right than it is about the tools used to practice that right.”
10. Introduce Them to Their NRA State Affiliate
Some people are intimidated by large national organizations but might find being involved with a state-level group to be more in their comfort zone. Introducing these types of people to such a group can be just the nudge they need to become involved.
Enter NRA state associations, which serve a critical role as the state-level delivery system for NRA programs and legislative information. The NRA depends on state associations to promote firearms and the Second Amendment within their states and to motivate NRA-affiliated clubs and grassroots volunteers to activate their programs in their local communities.
Success at the state level depends on building a strong, growing cadre of dedicated members. So, adding to your state association one person at a time by introducing new people will help grow the NRA and make a tremendous difference for the association in the long run. To find out more about the state association where you live, check out stateassociations.nra.org.
Ultimately, there are many ways to help people become involved in gun ownership and Second Amendment advocacy. While this list can be helpful, it is far from exhaustive.
Just remember, every person you introduce to shooting and the Second Amendment is one more person on the pro-freedom side of the debate. In politics, every single vote counts, and our liberty is strengthened every time an NRA member successfully introduces a new person to Second Amendment advocacy. If we all do our part now, our children and grandchildren will be much more likely to be able to enjoy the right to keep and bear arms well into the future.
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