By Maria Heil,
Contributing Editor

I am proud to announce that we have gotten permits for our Mother's Day weekend 2004 rally in Washington, DC! Our Second Amendment Freedoms for Everyone Rally (or SAFER) is scheduled for Saturday May 8, 2004! Please make plans to attend this important event. While the so-called "Million" Mom March people have announced plans for a rally on that Sunday, Mother's Day, we prefer to honor mothers by not turning their day into a political statement. We truly do hold sacred the ideals of "Mom and Apple Pie," and would not think of ruining Mother's Day by making it anything other than a celebration of mothers. Watch for updates and announcements in the next issues of Women & Guns, as well as on our website.

Learning & Living
Summer is over; it's back to school time! The kids will be learning new things in a couple of weeks, after the traditional 'review' period. Soccer and football practices have already started, the first games of the season will be played any day now. With the first cool snap in the weather, my husband will be trying to find time for all of us to head off to the range to site in our deer rifles. This will be my daughter Maggie's first year for hunting. She took the Hunter Safety Education class back in June, and did quite well on the test. I'm happy to report that there were a good number of females in the class! I spoke with the Conservation Officer that helps with the class. He told me that in the last five years, female attendance at the Hunter Ed courses he has put on here in Pennsylvania has increased about 20%!

Learning is one of the most important things we can do in our lives. If we ever stop learning, it's as if we've given up and surrendered. There is always something new to learn, and you don't have to attend a college or university either.

Since you're reading this magazine, I assume you either own a gun, or are interested in owning a gun-either way, taking a class related to guns can increase your skills and sharpen your mind. There are so many classes that are gun-related, I'm sure you'll find something to interest you. The most obvious place to begin would be a basic pistol course. For those of you who are beyond the basics, there are courses (or booklets/books) ranging from gun care and cleaning (which is really a basic knowledge every gunowner needs), all the way up to advanced self-defense schools!

Where do you find sources for such classes and/or books? Well, you can start by reading this magazine, cover to cover; it's a wealth of information! Then, check in your local area. Does your local gun club have any courses? Even better, do they have anything geared toward women? (We all know that men and women learn differently-women learn faster!) Go on the Internet and start at Second Amendment Sisters website at: www.2asisters.org. We have a listing of certified instructors, and we have a calendar of events that you can check out to see if we are holding any events in your area. Still not finding what you are looking for? Use our website and email us your inquiry, if we can't help you, most likely, we'll be able to find someone who can.

Don't forget, learning doesn't have to be just about your gun! You can also learn about your rights! This whole area is really a fast paced ongoing learning experience. There are constant assaults upon your right to own a firearm, and the best way to counter these attacks is with knowledge, plain and simple. The more people we have with the knowledge to counter the anti-rights people, the better off the entire nation will be!

Nothing happening in your area? Well, why don't you make it happen? You can do it you know; it's not that hard! It's just that first step that seems to be the hardest to take, but once you've got things started, you'll be very happy with the results.

Where can you start? Well, you can either contact SAS on our website, or call us at 1-877-271-6216 and we'll arrange for someone to help you along. We can get you in contact with other women who have organized events, give you tips and ideas, or just put you in contact with a SAS member in your area. Remember, this is just a place to start; how far you go is up to you.

I have listed below events coming up in September and October in six different states, for an up-to-date listing, please check the calendar section of our website.

On the National level, I will be attending the annual Gun Rights Policy Conference in Houston, TX, along with Mari Thompson, our Founder from Texas! If you are reading this early enough, I urge you to attend. This year's conference is so convenient-the hotel is right at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and promises to be the best yet! Please make sure to meet Mari and myselfMari is a real pistol!

Fall Events

• South Dakota has its last ladies' shoot for the year (#4) on Sunday, Sept 28, at 9:00 a.m. in Spearfish. It is full, but you can sign up for the waiting list for next year's shoots!
  
• Wyoming has a ladies shoot scheduled for Sunday, September 21st at the Gillette Gun Club in Gillette.
  
• New Jersey is running a Women's Day at the Range at Shongum Sportsmen's on September 20.
  
• The Women's League runs the last Wednesday of each month, 7pm beginners, 8:30pm intermediates. April to November we get a pretty nice crowd.
  
• Massachusetts is holding a Woman's Instructional Shoot Sept. 20, 2003, Braintree Rifle and Pistol Club, Braintree. This is an introductory shoot geared toward women who have never shot before. It starts at 9:00 am and will go till 3 or 4 p.m. Ladies need to be registered in order to attend.
  
• Pennsylvania will have three shoots in the Fall-even though we're not running them:
  - Sept 6-Ladies Day at Guthsville Rod and Gun Club.
  - Sept 27-National Hunting and Fishing Day and Jakes (Youth) Day at Delaware County Field and Stream.
  - Oct 4-Ladies Day at Delaware County Field and Stream.
  
• Virginia: SAS will be on hand at the Hampton gun show on Sept. 13-14 & Richmond gun show on Oct. 18-19 and speaking at the Virginia Libertarian Party meeting this fall.

Go to the SAS Website and click on States for more information on these (and other) events.

And don't forget to mark you calendar now for the May '04 Rally in Washington, DC, Mother's Day Weekend 2004-plan to be there!