Feminine Firepower at SHOT Show
Another SHOT Show is in the books. It’s always a whirlwind week! From Monday through Saturday of SHOT Show week, I clocked more than 20 miles – which is significant since I work in only a handful of booths. I might have worn a hole in the carpet in a few places here and there.
I always take the earliest flight home on Saturday so that I can spend the weekend with my family. I won’t lie; that 3:45 am wake up was rough, but well worth it. I imagine I must seem like a different person with puffy eyes, the inevitable SHOT Show sniffles, and my voice low and raspy from a week of non-stop talking. I’m still “Mama,” though, which is my most treasured title. My work may be unconventional to some, but women of all ages and backgrounds play a very important role in our industry.
Of course, during SHOT there’s always that regurgitated article in mainstream media about how the industry no longer “shrinks and pinks” products for women. Though I am excited to see women and gear featured, this tagline is so tired. The media also misses the real story, how women are welcomed in a traditionally male industry and even more importantly, how they choose to lead, inspire and innovate.
Where there used to be just one way for women to meet up at SHOT, now there are many. An event pioneered by my good friend, Barbara Baird, of Women’s Outdoor News, there is a women’s event on-site at SHOT Show centered around networking and business growth. Originally the Women’s Meet & Mingle, this year Women’s Outdoor News joined forces with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to host a 2+ hour event. The topic? Project Childsafe, the NSSF’s proactive program centered around genuine firearm safety. More than 250 women and yes, even a number of men, celebrated the program and left inspired to do more. Silent auctions – with donations from Smith & Wesson, Safariland and Trijicon – raised funds for the charity as well.
Smaller and less formal meetups have also popped up over the years, such as Julianna Crowder’s A Girl & A Gun Event, which focused on celebrating her successful women’s shooting club and women in the shooting sports. An evening centered around “Women of the Industry,” hosted by ZRO Delta’s Rocky Harrigan and Alisha Walker featured a 1920s theme and provided an opportunity beyond typical networking with an air of fashion and fun. Emily Valentine, of the popular blog “Style Me Tactical” and a fellow Love at First Shot cohort co-hosted a “Not Your Average Gun Girls” meet-up with podcasting partner Amy Robbins to celebrate the fact that there is nothing average or unappealing about women who believe in their right to protect themselves and what’s dear to them.
I had the pleasure of spending a girl’s night out with women from Lipsey’s, a company that serves as a distributor of firearms to dealers. Think only men know about sales in the gun industry? The ladies of Lipsey’s at SHOT prove that stereotype wrong every day, led by their own Laurie Aronson. Not only running a successful business, Laurie is also a proven leader. She’s now the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) chairwoman.
NRA Women hosted their annual grab-and-go breakfast, too. Food and fellowship with a feminine flair, the morning meal provided a wonderful way to kick off the halfway mark at SHOT Show. It proved to be yet another example of the desire for women to help one another. Liz Sharp, Vice President of Investor Relations at Smith & Wesson, and Karen Butler, of Shoot Like A Girl, shared the importance of mentorship and their personal dedication to mentoring women in the industry.
Female writers, instructors, designers, entrepreneurs, and influencers continue to make their mark at SHOT Show too. “Good for a girl” isn’t a phrase in our vocabulary. Women are sharing knowledge, skills, personality, and perspective in their special way. Here’s to the women who pull the trigger, in more ways than one!
I learned a long time ago that there is something worse than missing the goal, and that’s not pulling the trigger.”
Mia Hamm
Women helping women to not only succeed but also, to thrive, is what the media missed in their coverage of women at SHOT Show. It’s not about colors or even the products. Females and firearms are not taboo and we’re proving it every day.
