NTYDTTRD

On Saturday I got up at 3:45am(I have been telling everyone 3am, but my husband says he thinks it was more like 3:45 and he has a track record of being right, so:) to get myself ready for the big National Take Your Daughter To The Range Day Event.  I had been supporting and following the progress since day one and I was thrilled that it finally had arrived!

Lynne asked me to get to the range by 6:00, so that is what I did.  She and the others actually had everything under control when I got there, so  I mostly did little things like open up boxes of juice and water and set them up on the table along with some scones.  Basically, I did not do much, but that left me time to meet some of the other team members and by now most of you know how much I love to hear people share their stories. 

One person I was fortunate to get to chitchat with was Dick Heller. I had met Mr. Heller one other time when I attend a conference put on by Students For Conceal Carry On Campus, but it was brief.  He was a delight then and he was a delight on Saturday.  He asked if I wanted my picture taken with him and I said, of course!  He picked up a piece of paper and started to pretend he was teaching me something, but before anyone could take the picture he said "Wait, no, you should be teaching me."

I asked if I could put the picture on the blog and he said yes and be sure to tell them I fought for their Second Amendment Rights, then he said, they probably won't care.  I assured him that the readers of this blog did indeed care.  I explained that the fine folks that visit here are the ones who taught me about the importance of his landmark case.  "Really?"  he said.  Really! 

In case you are new to guns and you are not sure who he is, do not feel bad, just be sure to click on the link and read his story.  It is remarkable.

Later he strapped on the gun that was at the center of the Supreme Court case and I asked if I could take a picture of it.  He is extremely proud of that gun and he was quite particular about the photos being taken of it.  I took 17 before he found one he felt was suitable for the blog.

He took pictures with everyone.  One gentleman wanted Mr. Heller in the middle of him and his daughter, but Dick said , nope.  He said the little girl was the hero and she should be in the middle and so it was. He tells a great story about a kidney donor they found and even though he told it openly and not in confidence to me, it is his story to tell.  If you ever get a chance to meet him, ask him about it.

In addition to Mr. Heller I met a heck of a lot of other great people.  I spent a lot of time with a woman named Laura.  Laura is the wife of Evan, the President of Innovative Defensive Solutions.  IDS is a major sponsor of the event.  I meant to get my pic with Laura, but we got busy.  She is a gorgeous thing and sweet as can be.  Funny and has a potty mouth that she is kind of proud of.  She made me laugh a lot. Smart, quick wit...I might have hit on her if we both were not already married.

 I met The Director of Education and Training for the NRA, Mr. Bill Poole.  What a fantastic man.  Kind and encouraging.  Really enjoyed my conversations with him.  I also spent a great deal of time talking with a man who does security for high profile peeps overseas.  Learned a ton from him and got some great resources.  Funny, kind, encouraging, generous.  Did a little smack talking with a young guy who works for IDS.  Good times.

Every second was enjoyable, including getting to see my boss. John stopped by and Lynne finally got to meet him, but the very best part of the day was seeing those kiddos faces light up after they came off the range. 

I was a greeter which meant that as families came in I handed them our form to fill out, explained how things worked, asked if they needed eyes and/or ears, let them draw for a door prize, that kind of thing.  I also escorted kiddos to their lane on the range and I greeted them again when they were done shooting.  Laura and Mr.Heller were also greeters.

The event was billed as Take your "Daughter" to The Range, but we had entire families show up to shoot.  Boys as well as girls.  We had girls as young as 6 who had never shot before and we had "girls" well into their 40's.  We had a girl about 9 or 10 come in with her father, both shooters and to see the confidence in her eyes was encouraging and inspiring. More than one of us became teary eyed more than once throughout the day.  Every single person who left made sure they stopped by the table to say thank you and to let us know what a great event it was.  People were actually asking to buy things like T-Shirts, mugs, etc.  That is a very good sign.

Lynne and the whole crew were great to work for.  We had lots of treats including the most delicious cake that I got to bring home. Another fab person, a man I took the Protection Inside The Home Course with, carried it out to my car for me. He told me a crazy story of a gun fight he was sort of in.   Great people, great time, great event!! I truly can not wait until next year!!