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It was my great good fortune and pleasure to receive the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award at the annual meeting in May in Milwaukee. I got to sit at a table with other past and present winners of the Marion P. Hammer Awards as well as my posse-my stalwart mom and the effervescent C.J. Songer. I knew last year's winner, Susie Rouse of Oklahoma, having met her at a Women's Leadership Training Seminar in 2000. She's one of those spark plug people who just light up a room with their enthusiasm-in her case for Cowboy Action Shooting and for women shooting programs generally-and you can easily see how she can marshal her troops to do the kind of work the Hammer awards are all about. Also at the table was Peggy Bodner of New Jersey. Peggy and I have known each other a while, and she was more than deserving of her award for the yeoman work she's done on behalf on the Association of NJ Rifle & Pistol Clubs, again, particularly in the area of women's programs. Peggy will soon be doing her work in North Carolina as she and her husband (they fell in love at a Gun Rights Policy Conference four years ago) move south. (We've thoughtfully arranged this year's GRPC for Charlotte, NC, so I expect to see them both front and center.) I had not met, but knew by reputation, the other award winner present, Sue Tabor of Michigan. A tiny dynamo, she spearheaded a dove season, and was active on behalf of gunowners during her tenure in the Michigan House of Representatives. C.J. and I made the rounds of the silent auction tables (she scored a nice looking lamp), and as we did, I saw a lot of familiar faces. The women's luncheon could have been for any group-businesswomen, sorority sisters, wedding shower, PTA, etc. The women gathered, however, were there because of their dedication and affection for the Second Amendment and for the NRA. "The Second Amendment Friendship," as my own friend
and mentor, the late David Caplan, dubbed it. NRA director and Women's Policy Committee member Susan Howard presented the awards, and, while I knew it was coming, I must say, I felt some combination of elation and confusion when my name was called. I got to briefly "speechify" and I hope (but am pretty sure I didn't) I thanked everyone right and properly. No wonder those movie and TV stars stuff their pockets full of lists! My thanks, of course, went to the Women's Policy Committee, which votes on the awards and to its chair, Sue King of TX. Sadly, the redoubtable Ms. King was absent, so I didn't get to appall her by giving her a big hug. I also remembered to thank my folks and both CJ and Susan Laws, who kindly nominated me. I may not have-but certainly should have-expressed gratitude to the Second amendment Foundation, its board and to two of my favorite people-Alan and Julie Gottlieb. I tried to mention-but probably failed to articulate-what a privilege it's been to helm Women & Guns and to meet so many friends I never knew I had. So much common ground is available-and not just in a room set aside for a luncheon. I also hope I said what an honor it was to be included in the group of previous Ludington awardees-people like Alice Bull, Tanya Metaksa and Suzanna Gratia Hupp. But there's one "thank you" I don't think I got to, and I'll take a little space to mention one of my first Second Amendment Friends and a woman who has always been a role model for me. That's Sue Wimmershoff-Caplan, who I got to know in my early days of the Friendship-when I was just the kid hanging out with the grownups. Sue, who was one of the leading lights of member reform in
the NRA and later served several terms on its board of directors,
was often the only woman at the table in those days-but she was
usually the smartest person in the room.
Photo © Copyright 1998 Nancy Floyd, used with permission. |
By
Peggy Tartaro,
