By Maria Heil,
SAS National Spokeswoman

In December of 1999 five women took a leap of faith and decided to take on the so-called Million Mom March (MMM) in our nation's Capitol. These women were the first to "step up to the plate" so to speak. At first these five women thought that they were merely going to be doing a counter-rally to the MMM on Mother's Day of 2000. However, once they formed the Second Amendment Sisters (SAS), it took on a life of its own.

The five women who became the Founders of SAS had never met each other before.

They had chatted, on-line, at Free Republic.com, but that was all. None of the Founders met until two nights before the rally in DC. They came from Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Florida. Some were single, some were married, some had kids, and a couple were even grandmothers. Yet, together they started what has been termed the "first civil rights organization of the new century."

This new organization had served as a life-line to women across the country during the rise of the MMM. Due to the fawning and extensive coverage the MMM received as it geared up, many women across the nation were left feeling as though they were in a very tiny minority. Many had begun to question whether perhaps there were no other women who felt that the right to keep and bear arms was essential to their survival, as well as the survival of the nation.

Once SAS announced its existence and started getting media coverage, things changed for the better. Women started calling SAS with what we call, "Thank God" calls. So many women were happy merely to find out that we existed! So many more women were thrilled that we were going to counter the MMM that Mother's Day. Women who did not own a gun called to tell us "Thank you!" for standing up for our right to self-defense.

Since its inception, SAS has grown and developed, much as an infant grows and develops. We've been learning a lot in our first few years. We've also bruised ourselves in learning to walk. Growing pains are an inevitable part of the life of any organization.

We've also had some tremendous achievements as well; chief among them was being named the Gun Rights Organization of the Year at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in September of 2000 in Arlington, VA.
In the summer of 2000 we began accepting paid memberships. These membership dollars allowed us to begin our work in earnest. SAS is made up entirely of unpaid volunteers. We have no "National Office," nor the overhead of a physical office. What we do have are "satellite" offices in the kitchens, dens, and spare rooms of all our volunteers' homes. (Now THAT is grassroots.) Our main mailing address is Lakeway, TX, because that is where the person who handles the mail lives.

SAS and its State and Local Coordinators have done so much in the last few years, that it's hard to remember all of it. Michigan started our wildly popular Shop-N-Shoot™ Weekend program. Most of our states hold or co-sponsor Ladies Days for learning to shoot, or for having fun shooting with the gals. We've also raised money by co-sponsoring a Machine Gun Blast which was really a big hit in Connecticut. We've joined with Motorola in their "Donate a Phone" program, which aids women in domestic abuse situations. We've also partnered with The Patrick Henry Center in the Patriettes Program, which offers women a basic pistol course. In Virginia, the women who complete the Patriette course are then able to apply for their concealed carry permit.

We've had rallies at various times, in various states. In Pennsylvania we had "The Bill of Rights Rally" the weekend prior to the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in 2000. SAS was on one side of the Liberty Bell and the anti-rights groups of the Silent March and the MMM were on the other side. The anti-rights people came through our site and dumped an entire table of literature into the trash. (This is why I call them "anti-rights" and not "anti-gun," as they want to remove our First Amendment Rights as well as our Second Amendment Rights.) They also desecrated about a dozen of our 1000 American Flags by putting MMM buttons on them. Really says a lot about just what kind of "Americans" they are, doesn't it?

Also in Pennsylvania in October 2000, I joined with the Rally in the Valley to counter the MMM's Walk Across the Bridge. The MMM organizer tearfully decried that so few people (70, counting kids) had turned up thanks to "them!" "Them" was the "Rally in the Valley" crowd (approximately 1500) which lined the almost mile long bridge and silently turned their backs as the MMM few walked across the bridge. The MMM organizer also stated that she had "registered" many more people than showed up.

Many of our wonderful local coordinators can be found at gun shows on weekends. SAS most often gets a table donated to them by the gun show promoter. This is not only a source of support, but it is also quite the ego boost. Not much can compare to words of encouragement from total strangers, who then become brothers and sisters 'in arms.'

SAS has also begun lobbying at the state level as well as on the national level. Many state coordinators have become very familiar faces in their state houses. I personally have made many day trips to DC to meet with Representatives and Senators. I also call and fax the legislators' offices and make them aware of our feelings when a bill comes up that deals with our Second Amendment rights.

We've also expanded onto the college campuses as well! Our first College Chapter was established at Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts. The fact that this chapter was in Massachusetts really generated an incredible amount of press interest. (The New York Times, for example, was amazed there were any pro-gun women in Massachusetts, but most especially at Mt. Holyoke.) Nearly a year later we are still getting press calls for the Mt. Holyoke Chapter!

Since the beginning we have been always looking forward. We've always had our next goal or project in mind. This coming year we are looking forward to numerous Ladies Days and more than a few Shop-N-Shoots™. The Patriettes program will have its slate full. We will continue our "Donate-A-Phone" program. We are also launching new ideas such as the G.E.D. in Mississippi; G.E.D. meaning Gun Education Day. I know that we will have numerous events as the New Year goes on and the state coordinators come up with new ideas. Our calendar is constantly being added to as plans are firmed up. The calendar can be found on our website www.2asisters.org.

Now, looking beyond 2003 to 2004! In the presidential election year the group formerly known as Handgun Control, Inc and the now "in-name only" MMM has made plans.

They are planning a second Mother's Day rally in Washington, DC. They are calling it,"the birth of their second child."
SAS is planning for Mother's Day weekend 2004 as well! As of this writing, our ultimate plans are not "set in stone." At the very least, we will be having a Pro-Second Amendment Rally on the Saturday of that weekend. We decided on Saturday as we still hold Mother's Day (Sunday) as scared and not to be used as a political football. So, mark your calendars and start setting money aside for a trip to DC in May 2004. Better yet, talk to your friends, see if you can get enough interest to get a bus, or arrange for a chartered plane (it can be done)! Tell everyone to join you in DC on Saturday, May 8, 2004. Watch these pages for more details.

This is the first in a regular feature from the Second Amendment Sisters in both our printed version of here at WomenandGuns.com.