Who owns a gun today ? Women and minorities are the fastest growing segment of armed Americans . These new gun owners are entering unfamiliar territory , and traditional gun owners can at least meet them halfway . New gun owners have lots of questions about living an armed lifestyle . Since " concealed carry " means concealed , new gun owners don ’ t know what they don ’ t know . My friend Amanda Suffecool has a suggestion . Local gun-groups can produce a concealed carry fashion show . This is why you should .
Do you want to attract more women and minorities to your club ? Do you want more young people at your events and fundraising activities ? Here is your opportunity to back up your words with actions .
Put on a concealed carry fashion show that looks like the audience you want rather than the audience you always have .
You might want young moms to carry and join your club . Put them in the show . You can attract 21 year-old college students and 61 year-old grandmothers the same way . Put them in your show .
Do more than tell new gun owners that they are a welcome part of Armed America : show them . " We look just like you ."
I ’ ve convinced some of you , but others might object that you already know how to do things the way you ’ ve always done them . I understand . No one will criticize you if you serve the same old overcooked chicken and green beans at your annual banquet and fundraiser again this year . That is an easy decision that meets expectations .
The problem with doing what you ’ ve always done is that you ’ ll get the results you ’ ve always gotten . Why settle for that ? In this case , it is easy to try something different . Amanda Suffecool wrote the book about producing your own concealed carry fashion show . ( You can get it from Amazon .)
Amanda is a shooter , and she wrote the book with us in mind . This nuts-and-bolts how-to manual , identifies the people , positions , tasks and decisions you need to make your event a success . Events like this have been done before , and we all can learn from her experience , the good and the bad . You can plan for success and avoid unnecessary surprises .
There will be surprises . For example , you were going to invite the local news media , weren ' t you ? What will you do with the media that shows up uninvited ? That is one of many things for which you have to plan .
A concealed carry fashion show does more than demonstrate methods of concealed carry for men and women . It can recruit new members into your club and can be entertainment for existing members . The show can be a fundraising event for your organization . You can showcase local vendors and promote their products . A fashion show does that and something important as well .
A concealed carry fashion show communicates what responsible gun owners in your community look like . You get to make that statement rather than accept how you ’ re usually portrayed in the media .
This book is more than a few notes Amanda scribbled down or a catalog of lists . It is a 150 page book complete with illustrations . She gives us the dos-and-don ’ t ' s she ’ s learned from producing several shows . There is even a DVD available so we can see what other people have done and what we might want to borrow . You can do it , and welcome all of armed America to your next event .