By Susan Laws,
Contributing Editor

Perhaps Margaret Hornady said it best: "Sue King, you blankity-blank-blank!" The exclamation came in reaction to Ms. King's resurrection of the notorious "ambush interview" as a prelude to an intensive, three-day learning experience for pro-gun women.

The venue was the pilot of a program titled Women's Leadership & Media Training Seminar, held June 21-23 at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, Texas. It attracted an illustrious congregation of women from all parts of the country (15 states were represented) and from all factions of the firearms community.

This ground-breaking event was sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), the Texas State Rifle Association (TSRA) and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) in cooperation with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). These are organizations that put their money where their mouths are in support of women's issues and they deserve recognition and high marks for foresight.

The conference was co-hosted by Sue King, a director of TSRA and of the NRA, and Peggy Tartaro, executive editor of this magazine and treasurer of CCRKBA. The ultimate objective was to create a new generation of women gun rights activists. To that purpose, there are no better guides than Ms King and Ms Tartaro. Together, these two gun rights pioneers delivered a one-two educational and motivational punch that informed, inspired and energized ardent attendees.

The Friday afternoon "ambush interviews" got things off to a rousing start. The ploy is a Sue King exclusive in which unsuspecting seminar victims are accosted upon arrival at the hotel and cleverly lured into a spontaneous on-camera interview with a phony anti-gun journalist-from-hell. In this case, Trish Gregory of NRA-ILA played the local reporter from "KSUK-TV". The question of the day was devious and each of us took turns cringing when the interviews were played back that evening as after dinner entertainment. Some performances provided more laughs than others but all provided the first serious lesson of the weekend: Always be prepared.

Saturday morning's program started off with a special address by Sandra Froman, NRA's second vice president. Froman is an eloquent spokeswoman and a strong female voice in the advocacy arena. Earlier this year, she rallied a cheering crowd of patriots at NRA's Annual Convention with her own proud interpretation of the term "Gun Culture" and its positive relationship to freedom. In Dallas, Ms Froman shared her personal story, from simple gun owner and shooter to national leader, continuing a strong tradition at NRA of dynamic women in leadership roles. She was delightful and deliberate. She was there to inspire-and she did.

Phillip Beall, president, Allied Pilots Association, was also on hand to state the case for arming pilots in the cockpit. Beall and his wife, an flight attendant, were old friends of Froman's who had become reacquainted during the public policy debate on arming pilots.

Beall shared a videotape with the group, made by the Allied Pilots Association, which demonstrated how easily both an unarmed flight crew and one armed only with tasers and similar devices could be overcome by determined terrorists-armed only with improvised "weapons" found on board the plane. Women's Seminar attendees were the first people-outside of government-to see the video. He made a convincing presentation and asked each of us to write our congressmen and get the facts out wherever possible. It was the kind of current event issue that vigilant gun rights activists must keep abreast of.

Peggy Tartaro chaired the next section, entitled: All politics are local, all locales are political." Topics centered on the current political climate and political action items. This segment could not have had a better chairperson. I have known Peggy for several years and have yet to ask a political question she couldn't answer with educated authority. She is well informed and highly effective at making her point. As seminar participants can attest, she is also a master at interjecting humor into a very serious subject. (She also knows a lot about gardening but the pro-flower movement needs less attention.)

Completing her panel, Peggy was joined by Maria Heil, national spokeswoman, Second Amendment Sisters, and James Dark, executive director, Texas State Rifle Association. Maria presented an inside look at the formation of the "Sisters" group, founded in response to the misguided Million Mom March Against Guns in 2000. The story was one of inspiration and dedication, illustrating the powerful potential of the "grassroots effort." Dark shared his knowledge of firearms politics as seen from his post as head of TSRA, one of the countries' largest and most effective state associations.

Immediately following, Sue King moderated a segment entitled "Reaching In, Reaching Out." Panelists were Mary Sue Faulkner, Women's Issues, National Rifle Association, and yours truly, Susan Laws. Mary Sue had much to cover in a short period of time as she was charged with highlighting all areas in which the NRA is now working on behalf of women. She provided valuable handout material and information about the Women On Target program and the Refuse to be a Victim program. Mary Sue stands ready at NRA headquarters to help anyone interested in what the NRA has to offer its female membership.

In terms of experience, I felt a little like the weakest link. My charge was to talk about Cowboy Action Shooting, its recruiting potential, its media friendly perception and the role of shooting sports in reaching outside the "choir." My point was that we all have a personal passion with regard to the gun issue and we all have a responsibility to use that passion to bring others into the fold.

In launching our panel discussion, Sue King talked frankly about the need for outreach activism and warned of the price we will likely pay for ignoring it. With an animated dissertation, she displayed the talent that makes her the undisputed Queen of Amicable Acerbity. It's a brand of confrontation that serves her potent personality well. Sue is more than willing to tell you what you need to be told and if you are willing to listen, you will come out much better for the encounter. Sue King stands alone in her accomplishments on behalf of women shooters. Seminar attendees were fortunate to have the opportunity to draw on her unparalleled experience.

After a hardy buffet luncheon it was back to work for an afternoon of concentrated Media Training led by Trish Gregory.
The session focused on skills and strategies needed to deal effectively with all types of media encounters. We covered a variety of topics such as developing contacts, setting up interviews and using proper language as well as interview techniques, appearance and talking points.

Throughout the afternoon session, participants were taken, one by one, to a separate room and put through the rigors of yet another on-camera interview.

This time we knew it was coming but questions were not revealed ahead of time. Each of us found that when we faced the interviewer a second time, we were a bit more confident and better prepared-a good thing to accomplish before the six o'clock news calls with questions.

Handling the mainstream media interview is no easy task. Trish Gregory played an excerpt of her own appearance on a network news show to illustrate some of the pitfalls. She had been asked at the very last minute to appear opposite a well-known anti gun activist (who, incidentally, had been given plenty of prep time). It was sabotage from the beginning but the hurdles she faced from an obviously biased journalist made for interesting study. Trish is an NRA public relations specialist who enjoyed sharing her knowledge with seminar participants. She had this to say about her stay in Dallas:

"I was impressed by every aspect of the workshop. Sue King and Peggy Tartaro are to be commended for turning the concept of educating pro-gun women into a reality. It speaks volumes that women from all across America would pay their hard earned money to fly to Dallas to participate in this event. It was exciting and inspiring for me to see such a dedicated group of women-of all ages and backgrounds who were emphatic about getting it right. These women are the voice of America and they are tired of the way the media portrays them. I look forward to participating in more workshops in the future."

After a break for dinner (and for a few of us, a fortifying cocktail), we headed back to the meeting room to view the formal interviews and face the comments not just from the aforementioned Queen of Acerbity (Sue King), but also of

Trish Gregory and Peggy Tartaro. And, participants were comfortable enough by this point to add some remarks of their own.

We worked our way around the table, as each participant "starred" for a few moments in this section. Pointers were offered on everything from dress and eye-contact to making points clearly and staying on message.

The final panel, Sunday morning, was entitled "Making Gun Safety Work for Us." NRA's Mary Sue Faulkner covered the Eddie Eagle Gun Safe Program and NSSF's Dee Dee Dockins, presented the particulars of that organization's successful Project HomeSafe.

The safety issue is an important one, and often hijacked by the anti-gunners. The NRA and the NSSF are doing an outstanding job of addressing safety concerns and making the issue our own.

The congenial co-hosts concluded the conference with a lively question-and-answer period aptly titled "Where Do We Go from Here?" The answer to that question is likely "EVERYWHERE-as enthusiastic participants departed for a wide variety of home destinations, vowing to renew their efforts on behalf of gunowners across this great country.
Both Sue King and Peggy Tartaro are hopeful of staging another women's seminar in 2002. Based on the enthusiasm generated at the inaugural event, it certainly seems like an idea whose time has come. Stayed tuned to these pages for more information.

For me, the Women's Leadership & Media Training Seminar was a personal call to arms. In 2004 (an election year) the Brady Campaign and its cohorts plan to be back with a bigger, better-funded, celebrity-studded Million Mom March against guns. I suspect I will be an active part of the counterattack. And I will be much better prepared thanks to Sue King, Peggy Tartaro and the pro-gun organizations that believe I matter.