A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League has proven that a global pandemic just isn’t enough to keep American women who love firearms down. This year, the organization’s National Conference is called ELEVATE 2020, but it might as well be named “Coronavirus Who?” This 8th National Conference is breaking the mold for women’s shooting and instruction events … and in ways that will benefit us for decades to come. Originally set to be an in-person event that had to be scuttled due to “social distancing” protocols, A Girl & A Gun has done exactly what all we women gun owners do when faced with adversity: adapt and overcome.
Presented by SIG SAUER, the Girl & A Gun 8th National Conference will not only offer 34 simultaneous training sessions on the range over 3.5 days for 450 women, it will do something more: offer training to women around the country via a brand-new digital platform, created just for this event. This concept encircles all of the best things about such a conference—including the camaraderie, fun, swap meets and more.
Here’s how it works: When you sign in, you can automatically access all the training sessions at the conference, covering defensive shooting, competitive shooting, recreational shooting, self-defense and much more. These trainers are some of the top names in the industry, including celebrities such as Dave Miller, Patrick Kelley, John Murphy, Lou Ann Hamblin, Tatiana Whitlock, as well as dozens of other rock star instructors.
If you’re working from home, no worries: A detailed Event Schedule will list all of the training sessions, live Q&A sessions and videos, so participants know when they may want to take a work break and log in. You can watch and rewatch all of the training videos, including Sporting Clays sessions from the Pro Team of CZ-USA Field Sports, Pistol Fundamentals from GLOCK’s Director of Training, and the Build-an-AR Workshop hosted by Stag Arms, whose armorers are making step-by-step videos just for A Girl & A Gun participants.
Each topic has a dedicated group chat for participants to share what they learned and interact with other students. Some instructors are offering prize certificates to spots in their upcoming classes, so when COVID-19 is in the past, attendees could win a spot to attend a live-fire class!
Throughout the multi-day event, A Girl & A Gun will be live-streaming to recognize the event’s Sponsors and give away valuable prizes to registered participants. Participants don’t have to be present to win, although it will be more fun for everyone who is online if they are! All prizes, gifts and swag from the organization’s generous sponsors will be mailed to their homes; guns will be sent to their FFLs.
For those who have not yet registered for ELEVATE 2020, you have two options: You can register for the Full Experience and get all of the training, materials, prizes, swag, and chances to win giveaways (maybe a new gun!). Or you can register for the half-price Digital Only option and get online access to the platform (but no presents in the mail). Registration is open now at agirlandagun.org/conference! The deadline for digital participation is April 25, 2020.
