In May 2023, A Girl & A Gun was soaring high after experiencing an overwhelmingly successful National Conference! Our chapters continued to grow — 1,430 attendees this month, which is 17% growth compared to last May. Here are some of the highlights for the past 30 days in A Girl & A Gun Nation:
Best Handguns and Gear for Women in 2023
If you want to know the best handguns and gear for women, look to see what women are choosing to train with and carry. Recently A Girl & A Gun (AG & AG) hosted its 11th Annual National Conference. The 600 students, who traveled from 40 different states, brought 843 handguns for training, which took place over 3 days with 102 of the nation’s top firearms educators.
GLOCK was the Title Sponsor of the 11th Annual A Girl & A Gun National Conference, and GLOCK was by far the most popular brand among the participants: 24.2% of all handguns used were GLOCK models. This year, however, the GLOCK 19 was edged out of its first-place spot. Check out the Top 10 handguns brought by women who attended the Conference, as well as holsters, belts, and more. Read more >
Shelby Elias Races by 176 Competitors for the Win
In May 2023 we proudly announced the winners of the 2023 1st Quarter League Match. Congratulations to Shelby Elias, the chapter facilitator of the Acadiana LA Chapter for earning 1st Place Overall. The 1Q2023 Match included 176 participants from 34 chapters across the United States. Shelby’s time was only 14.76 seconds for the 3 strings. She used an EMG Custom 38 Super Comp pistol by Eddie Garcia that is designed for competition. “It runs fast, but it’s LOUD,” Shelby laughs. Read more >
AG & AG Ladies Have Strong Showing at The Mingle
A Girl & A Gun was the most represented group at The Mingle, an invitation-only training event hosted by The Complete Combatant. Demonstrating our organization’s commitment to training and excellence, our members traveled from many different states to Georgia for the training event that included learning and camaraderie.
Making a Difference One Child at a Time
The motto of A Girl & A Gun is “It’s More Than Shooting” and though our national Giving Back program, we support several causes important to our community. One of those causes is pediatric brain cancer, and so as a league we observe Brain Cancer awareness month in May. We spotlighted one of our league charities and how we’re making a difference. Read more >
Summer Fun with New Candyland Target
Perfect for summertime trips to the range, we launched this fun and colorful target designed by AG & AG and produced by Axle Targets give shooters limitless training opportunities! The novice shooter can follow the prompts in each square to complete the “path,” while intermediate and advanced shooters can focus on focus on precision shots by hitting the candy in the top corner of each square, move in opposite directions, and work on par times.
By the Numbers
- In May 2023 A Girl & A Gun chapters hosted over 268 events with more than 1,430 participants (+17% over last May)!
- We mailed 413 new membership packets from HQ (consistent with last May).
- We opened 2 new chapters in May: Phoenix AZ and Delaware OH.
- We hosted 4 virtual events with more than 1,817 (and climbing!) views.
- Our app had 11,097 users (+9.7% over last May)!
Local Training and Media Highlights
Here are local news and media highlights for May 2023:
The Columbia MO Chapter celebrated their 10th anniversary with a carry in dinner, swag, prizes, fellowship and range fun.
The Sheboygan County WI Chapter had a fun morning with GLOCK rep Robert Powell, who spoiled them with swag and knowledge about GLOCK safety features, how to break them down and clean them, and he explained each model before heading to the range to try all the models they loved.
The Woodlands TX Chapter set their sights on cancer with the Cancer Awareness targets. They wrote the names of loved ones and friends next to the type of cancer fought and then proceeded to fill them full of holes! April and Sally Ann wrote their own names as they had their own battle with cancer and won.
The Grand Junction CO Chapter used their May ‘T’ Time to go over the Course of Fire for the June Quarterly Match.
The League City TX Chapter continued the National Conference dance party theme with 47 ladies in their favorite decade outfits to tackle “Disco Shooting Drills.” Several of members shared their Conference experiences and the classes and friends they met. Lots of dancing moves, laughing and fun was had by all!
The Central WI Chapter had a booth set up at the Lincoln County Sports Club Open House in Merrill, WI. They shared the Sisterhood with the ladies from our community and invited them to their next GNO!
The Savannah GA Chapter popped some targets, while wearing our red poppies to remember the fallen at our Memorial Day Breakfast & Bullets.
The Tulsa OK Chapter worked on one-handed shooting. These ladies came away with new understandings of single hand shooting, a new confidence, and abilities they didn’t know they had!
The Broward County FL Chapter was excited to host Megan West from GLOCK. The ladies were able to learn morea bout GLOCK pistols, try out many models, and send several (sponsored) rounds down range!
The Northern CO Chapter tackled the FBI Qualification, and each had a chance to shoot the course of fire. Each gal timed and scored each other. Everyone thought it was challenging but really enjoyed the activity.
The Memphis TN Chapter is proud of their member Kristy D., who passed her instructor in training level 3 of the Project Appleseed program this month! They are so proud of her and can’t wait until she earns her red hat!
The Hot Springs AR Chapter had a class on Situational Awareness and followed it up with some range time!
The Sierra Foothills CA Chapter Leadership Team “conquered the card” with 5 shots at 5 yards in 5 seconds on the AG & AG card.
The Montgomery County PA Chater hosted a going-away dinner for their member Amy, who is relocating to a Texas chapter. They send well wishes, “Good luck, Amy, on your new venture! We will miss you!” #itsmorethanshooting
The High Desert CA Chapter enjoyed a beautiful morning in the mountains with 5 of the Best Micro Compact 9mm Handguns for all the ladies to discuss and try, in addition to range time, raffles & brunch to raise funds for their local charity, Happy Trails Children’s Foundation.
The Las Vegas NV Chapter took a road trip to Gunsite Academy to compete in a GSSF match together.
The Central CT Chapter hosted a “Try a 9” event this month where they were able to shoot over 20 different 9mm pistols! They reviewed the features, and the pros and cons. The ladies loved trying the different models and taking notes of what they liked and disliked about each one.
The Kansas City Chapter hosted a gun cleaning clinic that included a demonstration of a sonic cleaner.
The Henderson/Las Vegas NV Chapters recently took a red dot class at Tactical Performance Center.
The Chattahoochee AL Chapter celebrated their first anniversary! They hosted 2 events this month and Facilitator Leigh Deaton earned her USCCA AR-15 Fundamentals Instructor Certification. Congratulations!
The Portage MI Chapter hosted an Intro to Rifle and plate shoot at the Southern Michigan Gun Club. They have been leading events there and ladies are loving the instruction and camaraderie!
The Sherwood OR Chapter hosted a co-ed date night, so that husbands, dads, and sons could participate in Girls Night Out. After shooting on the range, they enjoyed a catered dinner, hosted by the USCCA.
The Grand Junction CO Chapter enjoyed a beautiful evening at Cameo and dinner in Palisade. #sisterhood
The Memphis TN Chapter Facilitator, Ranae, and A-Team Member, Amy, attended The Mingle event with 83 other ladies of the firearm industry. They had a great time learning from great instructors as well as meeting and networking with other ladies around the country, including our very own Robyn Sandoval.
The Greater Black Hills SD Chapter had a grand turnout at their Meet & Greet! Over 50 women came out and many signed up for Basic Pistol Classes!
The Flagler County FL Chapter had a great time during Trigger Time working on sections of the FBI Qualification. The ladies worked on 3 Shots in 3 seconds and the 4 Reload 4 drill in 8 seconds, and then added Strong Hand/Support Hand work, too!
The Maui HI Chapter volunteered at their county range and assisted with open range day. Mahalo to Pat McCarthy at Maui Ammo & Gun for allowing our members to shoot the M2 and 500SW!
The League City TX Chapter hosted a “How to Love Your Pistol’s Trigger” workshop. They used the AG & AG 5 of Diamonds card as their “before” card, and then at the end of the workshop they shot an “after” card. The ladies were so excited to see the difference in their shooting!
AG & AG was proud to be one of the first partners of the #SafeTravels podcast by Console Vault. Here’s your reminder that your vehicle is not a safe; keep your defensive tools secured. Learn more >
AG & AG was the subject of the After Action Project Podcast episode 065. It airs many channels including the Firearms Radio Network.
AG & AG Executive Director Robyn Sandoval was honored to be invited on the air by Tom Gresham to kick off the Mother’s Day episode of Gun Talk Radio.
The Douglas County NV Chapter was featured in their newspaper, The Record-Courier, because they volunteered to clean up the Douglas County Shooting Range.
AG & AG Executive Director Robyn Sandoval was a guest instructor on episode 315 of the Self Defense Gun Stories podcast. The podcast airs on iTunes, Stitcher, Amazon, Google Podcasts, Tunein, Spotify, Podbean, and iHeart Radio.
New Articles & Videos
In May 2023, A Girl & A Gun published the following resources (membership may be required to view):
- Giving Back: The Cooper Trooper Foundation
- Best Handguns and Gear for Women in 2023
- Acadiana, LA, Chapter Facilitator, Shelby Elias, Takes 1st Place in the 1Q 2023 Quarterly Match
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 more than 200 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.
