The DC Project is a non-partisan initiative that brings together 50 women, one from each state, to Washington DC to establish relationships with their legislators and reveal the faces and stories of firearms owners and Second Amendment supporters. I am the Arizona Delegate for The DC Project, and I am excited to report that we have just returned from another amazing (and eventful) annual trip. This year’s trip was particularly timely due to the heated temperatures of the political climate across our country, and the terrible and tragic attack on our Legislators while they played the most American of games, baseball, which took place during our time in DC.
The 2017 DC Project Delegation
The DC Project Delegates are a diverse group of ages, backgrounds, and political affiliations, and are part of a true Grassroots effort to protect, preserve, and defend our personal rights to keep and bear arms in America. In an era where the country is in a state of seeming irreparable and unending division, The DC Project is a shining example of unity. The love of our Constitutional Values and our Second Amendment Rights run deep in the hearts and the lives of these women, who annually spend their own financial resources, take personal vacation time, and travel as many as 14 hours (kudos to our Alaska Delegate, Elizabeth Perch!) to be together in our Nation’s Capital for a common purpose.
Among our Delegates are ladies who ascribe to the entire spectrum of political parties, business women, former members of law enforcement, members of the LGBTQ community, firearms instructors, survivors of violence, stay at home moms, and even a weight-loss coach! Our youngest Delegate is 14-year old Dakota Overland, who is a 3-Gun Competitive Shooter. Speakers from among this diverse group spoke at a rally on the West Senate Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building on Friday, June 16, 2017, and included Dianna Muller, Nikki Goeser, Robyn Sandoval, Amanda (Collins) Johns
on, Dakota Overland, and Holly Sullivan. In a Press Release submitted by our partnering organization, A Girl And A Gun Women’s Shooting League: “The topics ranged from women of the firearms industry, the rising demographic of female gun ownership, the value of the 2nd Amendment in today’s society, and the importance of the preservation of America’s gun culture, from conservation and commerce to competitive sports, hunting,
Honorary DC Project Delegate, Raelynn Jameson, meets AZ Congressman, Trent Franks
and self-defense.” For me and my family, 2017 marks the second year running that we have represented our value for the Constitution and our Bill of Rights in terms of American Legacy, by bringing three generations (myself, my daughter, Cassie Todd-Jameson, and my granddaughter Raelynn) to our nation’s capital.
By terrible happenstance, our 2017 trip began on the same day on which a sniper took aim at GOP Legislators who were playing a practice game of baseball in a, normally, pristine and peaceful park in nearby Alexandria, VA. Our delegates woke that morning to news that a man driven by misguided ideologies had shot and injured Congressman Steve Scalise of Louisiana and others. The incident was brought to a halt only because of the quick and decisive actions of Capital Police Officers who were on the scene, and were able to stop the threat by meeting it with equal force and firearms. This incident brought into sharp focus the need for American Citizens to have the freedoms to protect and defend themselves, and this sentiment was echoed by several of the Legislators who were on the field during the attack. As I shared with one of the Legislators from the state of New York, “We are always our own First Responder because we are responding to what is happening to us.” 
These terrible actions were those of someone who was steeped in the erroneous ideology of divisiveness that is threatening to permeate the minds of American citizens. However, The DC Project Delegates stand for and represent what is good and united about this country, and we were met with many kind words of appreciation by the Representatives and their Staffers with whom we met from states all across this great nation. There is so much more that unites us than could ever completely divide, and I am proud to be among a group of women who live out the principles of Grassroots Unity in Action…(READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE)
Article originally published on 7.13.17 and has been reposted on Gun Freedom Radio Blog with permission.
To learn more about the author of this article, Cheryl Todd.
