Last weekend, hundreds of gun owners gathered on the West Lawn of Capitol Hill to have their voices heard. We gathered to listen to leaders of the Second Amendment advocacy movement speak and take a stand for our Constitutional Rights. Dianna Muller, former law enforcement officer, 3-Gun champion and founder of the DC Project started her speech by sharing an observation:
“What I’ve figured out about people who are more conservative in nature is we don’t know how to make a scene”, Muller said.
That changed this week. Muller prepped the rally crowd with how to properly “make a scene” by sharing her experiences in testifying in front of the House Judiciary Committee on the Assault Weapon Ban. One key point of her testimony was that she highlighted “the firearms industry IS DOING SOMETHING”.
Muller went on to explain how programs like Project ChildSafe and the Kids SAFE Foundation have focused on educating our children on safety and proper uses of firearms. Her own organization, the DC Project, has taken to meeting with legislators to have conversations and to help educate them about real gun owners in America. All of these are examples of the firearms industry “doing something”.
Last month, Muller received national recognition for her testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Her statement of “I will not comply” with any proposed assault weapon ban quickly became the stance across the Second Amendment community. While properly educating the masses at the 2A Rally, she further explained “I said ‘I will not comply’ because it’s an unconstitutional law”.
Gabby Franco, Olympian and competitive shooter, was also amongst the speakers. In her emotional, and moving speech about her experiences of finding the Second Amendment, she states, “we the people are here to remind gun grabbing politicians and their advocates that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”. She reminds us “true freedom becomes a luxury when citizens are disarmed”. She shared her experiences watching her home country of Venezuela, where much of her family still resides, fall at the hands of Socialism and the disarming of the citizens. Franco urges, “While crime continues to rise to levels never seen in Venezuela, Venezuelans are still waiting for criminals to follow the gun control laws”.
Capitol Hill was not the only place this week where Second Amendment advocates “made a scene”. Muller and Chris Cheng, who is a competitive shooter and Top Shot Champion, were featured on Fox and Friends this past week. They were asked for their opinions about a county in Arizona that had joined 127 other counties across the nation in becoming a Sanctuary City for the Second Amendment. This county banded together with others in promising to uphold the Constitution and protect the right to keep and bear arms. “I’m happy to see them embrace the Second Amendment when the Second Amendment is being attacked like it is”, said Muller.
In the same interview, Muller also criticized statements made by “The Voice” host Joy Behar. Earlier in the week, Behar stated, “They should not tell everything they’re going to do. If you’re going to take people’s guns away, wait until you get elected — then take the guns away. Don’t tell them ahead of time.” Muller was disgusted by Behar’s came and said as much to Fox and Friends. “How disgusting is it that a woman with such reach and such influence on millions of viewers, on a major network can propose for a candidate to lie in order to get their way and then impose a different will on the people”, Muller said.
Another person ‘to make a scene’ this week was Rhonda Ezell who is from the south side of Chicago, on a broadcast of the ‘Today Show”. Ezell has won two separate Federal lawsuits against the City of Chicago over the issue of a person’s right to own firearms. A survivor of the Pulse Club shooting who represented the opposing view of the issue joined her with the purpose of having an open conversation about guns.
“America has to realize, just because you don’t see eye to eye with an individual, doesn’t mean you can’t sit down at the table and communicate,” said Ezell. She urged viewers to understand that “The Second Amendment is not a Republican thing or a Democrat thing. It is an American thing”.
As we continue to move forward into a new year and what is sure to be a heated election, gun owners and Second Amendment supporters must remember to continue to “make a scene”. We need to continue to have our voices heard and fight to protect our rights, continue to keep “doing something” by educating and informing the masses. We need to continue to fight.
Dianna Muller is the founder of the DC Project. An organization comprised of 50 women, one from each state who travel to Washington DC every year to speak with their legislators and form relationships with them in order to help educate on American gun ownership. Both Gabby and Rhonda are representatives from their respective states of Illinois and Texas. Not only are they making the difference in DC, but the women of the DC Project continue to advocate in their legislator’s home offices as well. This is another example of how the gun industry is “doing something”. Taking an active stand on education and informing those who are in positions of lawmaking powers.
About the Author
Lauren Hartnett is a Second Amendment advocate from NYC, as well as the New York Delegate of the DC Project. She is a NRA Certified instructor as well as a paramedic in the City of New York. She has spent the last 10 years helping to educate as many as she can on true gun ownership and safety. As a member of the DC Project, Lauren has been able to get more involved in her local politics and by living in New York City; she is living proof of what happens when we allow politicians to legislate our rights away.
