January marked a great start to our 12th year! Memberships in January were up 13% over last year and we had a 37% increase in attendance! We were able to see some friends at SHOT Show and at a lot of meetings throughout the month. Our chapters hosted a variety of events to kick off the new year! Here are our highlights for January 2023:
2023 Training Schedule Published
In January we announced our 2023 schedule for in-person events. We are excited to offer a variety of training opportunities for our members:
- Shooting/All Types of Training: Our National Conference will take place April 27-30, 2023, at Cameo Shooting and Education Complex near Grand Junction, CO. SOLD OUT.
- Armorer and Pistol Training: AG & AG armorer and operator courses will take place Jan. 30-Feb. 3, and Aug. 7-11, 2023, at GLOCK Professional in Smyrna, GA.
- Vehicle Defense & Evasive Driving: Our DRIFT Academy will take place on June 6-8, 2023, at the Virginia International Raceway. SOLD OUT.
- Instructor Development: AG & AG is hosting instructor certification courses on June 23-25, 2023, in Toccoa, GA; Aug. 27-31, 2023, in West Bend, WI; and Nov. 17-19, 2023, in Killeen, TX.
- Sporting Clays Tournament: Our annual Clays Extravaganza is an NSCA registered shoot on July 21-23, 2023, at the Defender Outdoors Clay Ranch in Ft. Worth, TX.
- Sniper School: Our ladies will make ghillie suits and engage targets more than a mile away! Sniper School takes place on Sept. 12-15, 2023, near Grand Junction, CO.
- Team Pistol & Multigun Competition: Our 3-Gun University and Fall Festival matches will take place Oct. 2-6, 2023, at the Lucas Ranch in Cross Timbers, MO.
- Law Enforcement Training: Our Back the Women in Blue event will offer firearms and defensive tactics training in November in Round Rock, TX.
- Hunting: Our Upland Adventure Pheasant Hunt will take place Nov. 29-Dec. 2, 2023, in Greensburg, KS.
SHOT Show 2023 Success
A Girl & A Gun was on site for SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show) in January. We had dozens of very productive meetings. Robyn discovered she was on the cover of American Shooting Journal, and the issue featured AG & AG in a 17-page article! We were also invited to several networking parties and VIP events, including Beretta, Staccato, Agency Arms, USCCA, U.S. Law Shield, Ditale Outdoors, NSSF Women of the Gun, DC Project, Daniel Defense, and the Liberal Gun Club meetup. We loved visiting with our members and friends who attended!
124 Competitors Competed in 4Q Match
Congratulations to Sheree McCabe from Frisco, TX, for earning 1st Place Overall and to Ashley Krenek of South Houston, TX, for earning All Star Winner status. Ashley also earned a 1st Place division win in Centerfire Optics. Margaret Gable of League City, TX, won the Centerfire Irons division; Sandra Polega of Portage, MI, led the Rimfire Irons division; and Wendy Deane of Osseo, MN, took 1st in the Rimfire Optics division. And congratulations to the local winners of each of the 33 Chapters that submitted scores! Read more >
Always Showing Member Appreciation
In January we announced the winners of our 4th Quarter Member Appreciation Giveaway! Thanks to the generous donations from Charter Arms, GTM Original, and OTIS Technologies, we were able to give away prizes by random draw from our membership database. We were excited to present Nitride Undercover .38 Spl revolvers to Stephanie of Lakeland FL and Mindy of Licking County OH; a concealed carry purse to Diane from Douglas County NV; an elite cleaning kit to Megan in Central CT; and some exclusive AG & AG gear to Sherrie from New River NC!
By the Numbers
Here is a look at our reach in January 2023:
- 618 new membership packets were mailed from HQ in January 2023 (+13% YoY)
- In January we hosted 355 chapter events (+20% YoY) with 2,180 attendees (+37% YoY)
- We have 10,858 active users on our mobile app (+20% YoY)
- We hosted 3 virtual events with 2,020 attendees (and views still climbing!) in January 2023.
Local Training and Media Highlights
Here are local news and media highlights for January 2023:
The Memphis TN Chapter collected coins for the One by One Ministries, which provides parenting mentorship and education for new moms. The chapter raised $475. #givingback
The Savannah GA Chapter rang in the New Year on steel targets with good friends and good food at their brunch potluck.
The Kansas City MO Chapter used the AG & AG Shooting Journal for a goal setting clinic at the beginning of January. Those who weren’t able to attend had the opportunity to watch a video to help them get started on their own.
The San Diego CA Chapter hosted the monthly “Brilliance in the Basics” class. Some of these ladies had never shot a gun before, and they had a great turnout! Say “cheese”!
The Broward County and Treasure Coast FL Chapters participated in a 2-day Ladyseed event that was featured in the January Project Appleseed newsletter.
The Foothills NC Chapter hosted GNO with 5 ladies that braved the weather. They had a blast shooting rifles.
The Sherwood OR Chapter hosted a Gun Cleaning Clinic, where 8 ladies learned how to safety disassemble, clean, lube and reassemble and function check their handguns. The local Liberty Lubricant rep sent a promo package of bore snakes, flex cables, solvent and oil, chem-x and stickers.
The Greater Black Hills SD Chapter was excited to find an indoor range! They also finally attended a Christmas luncheon that was postponed due to blizzards, and a happy attendee won an AG & AG/Hunter’s HD Gold gift basket.
The Jacksonville and Nassau FL Chapters combined for the first of a series of beginner shotgun sporting events at the beautiful, woman-owned Amelia Shotgun Sports.
The Memphis TN Chapter took a Pepper Spray defense class from Aqil Qadir of Citizens Safety Academy. Not only did the ladies learn a lot about pepper spray, but they also were trained on how to properly use it in self-defense.
The Lakeland FL Chapter’s leadership team attended a two-day Red Dot Concepts class with Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant.
The Little Rock AR Chapter members stepped outside of their comfort zones and took a Modern Sporting Rifle class at S7 Tactical in Menifee, AR. Many of them had no experience with rifles and everyone had a great time.
The Southeast MI Chapter dimmed the lights to set the stage for their Friday the 13th Girls Night Out for some low-light shooting.
The Prescott AZ Chapter hosted a Post-Holiday Party in January and had a blast! It was a great time to visit and get to know others better (and they had some great Secret Santas)!
The Salt Lake UT chapter hosted a zoom meeting for members to learn about the Shooting Journal. They went through the introduction, safety, gear, strength, practice and focused on the value and pistol skill for January. They had 14 ladies join this event and asked for this to become a monthly occurrence.
The WyoBraska NE Chapter hosted a Stop the Bleed class. They had 15 women and young ladies in attendance, plus 3 instructors!
The DeLand-Daytona FL chapter held a Rifle/ Shotgun Demo Day. Some ladies shot rifles and shotguns for the first time, and some might venture into 3-gun!
The Henderson NV Chapter hosted Austin Proulx who taught a Pistol Fundamentals Class. Twelve ladies from Henderson & Las Vegas braved the cold & rainy weather, and they were rewarded with an amazing class taught by both Austin & his dad, Walt.
The San Diego CA Chapter hosted a GNO that focused on cadence. Shooters ready, standby…”one Chicago, two Chicago, three Chicago…”
The Sierra Foothills CA Chapter hosted a mini competition on “clouds and raindrops” targets and the winner was Jami K! She will keep the Shooting Star trophy until next month’s B&B, then pass it to February’s winner. (Unless she wins again!)
The Las Vegas & Henderson NV Chapter Facilitators hosted a USCCA AR-15 Fundamentals course for 10 students who were so excited to learn all about the AR-15. Everyone did amazing!
The Northeast TN Chapter participated in a private airsoft event in January. It was everyone’s first time playing, and they all agreed it was a blast!
The Saukville WI Chapter Facilitator and A-Team instructors taught a local private elementary school an Intro to .22 Rifle class as part of their yearlong initiative to make gym class fun again! They class addressed safety, grip, stance and other basics, and finished with an hour on the live fire range.
The Flagler County FL Chapter collected and presented $470 in gift cards to Lujuana McKay of Samaritans House for their annual Christmas charity gift. Samaritan’s House is a half-way house for women to help them get on their feet after leaving an abusive relationship and they have nowhere to go. #givingback
The Lubbock TX Chapter participated in WTPS’s Outlaw Steel match, which is modeled off a match that has been going on for many years at Rio Salado Gun Club, Mesa, AZ.
The Salt Lake UT Chapter GNO addressed range bag essentials and gear, and then spent an hour on the range working on the AG & AG 5x5x5 playing card drill. The ladies learned that being timed adds another element to training.
The San Diego CA Chapter hosted an outdoor GNO. They did some ballistics testing to show how successful books are at stopping rounds. A hollowpoint made it through two hard-cover books, stopping in the third; and an FMJ made it through three hard-cover books, stopping in the fourth!
The Northern CO Chapter hosted a GNO of Range Bingo! They called out numbers from a Bingo roller and if the number was on a card, the member had to take a shot. They had 4 bingo winners and gave out prizes. It was fun and challenging!
The Salt Lake UT Chapter hosted a GNO of shooting fundamentals. They worked on grip, stance, sight alignment and picture, trigger control and follow through. They welcomed four new members to this event!
The Lubbock TX Chapter hosted a January “We Survived the Holidays” potluck and enjoyed social time off of the range.
The Las Vegas & Henderson NC Chapters had 8 ladies travel to Arizona to participate in the GSSF match. For several of the ladies this was their first ever competition; pretty sure they are all hooked! Alexander N, LV chapter facilitator, came in 3rd in the Glock Girl division behind 2 MasterClass shooters. Way to go Alex!
The League City TX Chapter comprised nearly all of the competitors of Texas Gun Club’s first Action Pistol Match. Everyone enjoyed the fellowship and showing their new chapter host range how much they love shooting.
The Broward County FL Chapter had 10 ladies participate in their Shooting Journal Workshop! They talked about the January Value and Pistol Skills, and then worked on some other shooting drills and holster skills. They are all every excited to continue their Journal work!
AG & AG was featured in an article in GUNS Magazine titled Admirably Armed. No Surprise Here: More Women Are Packing.
Sharable Articles
The following articles were published in January 2023:
- Frisco, TX, Chapter Member, Sheree McCabe, Takes 1st Place in the 4Q 2022 Quarterly Match
- Review: Liberty’s 50gr Carry Ammo
About A Girl & A Gun
A Girl & A Gun (AG & AG) is a membership organization whose events are successful stepping stones for thousands of women entering the shooting community by fostering their love of shooting with caring and qualified instructors who coach them. AG & AG breaks barriers for women and girls in self-defense, and in pistol, rifle, and shotgun shooting sports by welcoming beginners to learn the basics of safe and accurate shooting and providing experienced shooters with advanced-level opportunities. The club has members in all 50 states and hosts recurring Girl’s Nights Out at hundreds of ranges throughout the United States.
For more information about A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League, or to learn how to join, please visit AGirlandAGun.org. Follow AG & AG on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest for social media and corporate news.
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