Who Should Be Trump’s Pick To Head ATF?

One of the major nominations not yet released by President Trump is who will head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. I think it goes without debate that current head Steve Dettelbach will be replaced.

Two names that have been suggested are Brandon Herrera, aka The AK Guy, and Blake Masters.

Herrera would love to see the ATF abolished and there has been a vocal campaign to have him nominated for the position. He has indicated he’d accept the position if offered. He ran as a pro-gun candidate in the GOP primary against incumbent US Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and lost by a mere 400 votes in a run-off.

A second person who has been suggested is Blake Master of Arizona. A protégé of venture capitalist Peter Thiel, Masters is a lawyer and venture capitalist. He lost the Arizona US Senate race in 2022 to Mark Kelly and was defeated in a GOP primary for Congress this year. Like Herrera, he has touted his 2A credentials.

I have a modest proposal for an alternative that meets all the criteria: law enforcement experience, knows guns, is comfortable testifying before Congress, and is a real 2A activist.

Dianna Muller!

Law enforcement experience? Di served 22 years with the Tulsa Police Department including units dealing with drugs and gangs. She has the street cred to be respected by ATF special agents. Moreover, I have no doubt she can outshoot almost every one of them.

Knows guns? Professional shooter, two-time national 3-gun champion, hunter, and the list goes on and on. While not a gunsmith, she could hold her own with the ATF’s Technical Branch.

Testified before Congress? Dianna has testified multiple times before Congress and is famous for saying she would “not comply” with any AWB.

2A activist? She founded The DC Project which has now become Women for Gun Rights. I was at the SHOT Show in 2015 and attended her rollout of the idea. It was smart then and it is smart today. She recognized that having women from all 50 states go to Congress and lobby for gun rights was an effective way of delivering the message. Their motto of Educate, Not Legislate is an effective message and their teal t-shirts really stand out.

2020 Turn SHOT Teal
DC Project Photo

I haven’t run this by Di and I have no idea if she would even consider it. I know I’d be running the other way but Di has always impressed me as a someone who is willing to step up when needed. I do know if Dianna isn’t interested or willing someone else from Women for Gun Rights like Holly Sullivan who also heads the Connecticut Citizens Defense League would make a great alternative.

DC Project Brings Attention To Women Gun Owners At SHOT Show

The DC Project held a rally yesterday at the Fiocchi booth. It featured many of the women of the DC Project who were attending the SHOT Show. My guesstimate on the number of women wearing teal DC Project shirts was over 50.

From DC Project Facebook Page

This rally attracted the attention of the local Las Vegas media. The focus of the report was on women becoming involved in both armed self-protection and the shooting sports.

Dianna Muller, championship shooter and the founder of the DC Project, and California attorney Lara Smith were featured interviewees in the story.

While at the SHOT Show, I learned that there are plans to expand the DC Project. The goal is to recruit at least one woman in every Congressional district. The hope that these women will establish relationships with the local representative and become viewed as a resource on firearms issues.

Speaking of women at the SHOT Show, there were quite a number of women participating as buyers, exhibitors, and media. Yes there were a few “booth babes” but the number continues to decrease each and every year. This is good news for the industry as it realizes that women are a growing market that needs to be shown the respect they deserve.

A Sea Change From A “C” Change Will Help Us See Change!

In musical notation a change in pitch up or down a full octave is known as a C change.  Anyone paying attention to the fight to protect our second amendment rights has likely noticed the sound of the most prominent voices has indeed risen a full octave.  I am referring of course to the growing cacophony of women’s voices that refuse to be ignored or marginalized.  

When considering the protection of our 2nd amendment rights it is easy to get overly focused on legislation and litigation and ignore the cultural messaging that is the true driver of both.  It is in this messaging that the women in the gun rights movement seem to be having great success.  It is much harder to use the same old arguments and decades old character assassinations against a mom who says she just wants to be able to protect her family.  

When Dianna Muller of the DC Project testifies before a house judiciary committee and says ”I will not comply” she can’t be dismissed as just some eccentric rancher that needs to be taken down.  When A Girl and A Gun women’s shooting league hosts their Fall Festival it gets press as a fun event for strong women offering training, competition and fellowship not a para military terrorist training camp.  

The other factor to remember is that winning hearts and minds on the issue of guns is an emotional endeavor that can’t be won by just regurgitating facts and figures and on this point women speak with much greater perceived authority and sincerity.  

One woman speaking sincerely of her journey from victimhood to empowerment from fear to strength can open a lot more minds than a thousand men shouting Molon Labe.  

I’ve come to recognize in my own life that for all my bravado it is often my wife that really get’s things done, especially the hard things!  So I say thank you to all the women in the shooting sports and the 2nd amendment battle, keep doing what you’re doing it’s working and always know we got your back! 

DICK’S Ed Stack On CBS Sunday Morning

When CBS Sunday Morning was announcing their stories this morning, I must admit I rolled my eyes when I heard they were interviewing Ed Stack of DICK’S. Thanks to Dianna Muller, it was more balanced than I anticipated.

The story had interviews by CBS’s Lee Cowan with Stack, Dianna Muller, and Michael Bloomberg. Dianna provided a great counter-point to Stack and Bloomberg. It should be noted that Stack is pushing his new book, It’s How We Plan the Game, which is being published by another division of the company that owns CBS.

Then there was this quote that must have executives with NSSF thinking someone is finally getting the language right:

The “it” he’s talking about is the AR-15, a lightweight semi-automatic modern sporting rifle similar to the one used in the Sandy Hook massacre. He ordered all of them be removed from every Dick’s Sporting Goods store across the country.

While Cowan did link it to the Newtown murders, he didn’t call it an “assault weapon” or “assault rifle”. That in and of itself is remarkable nowadays.

His interview with Dianna was quite good. As you can see if you watch the video, it included footage of her shooting as well as other women from A Girl and A Gun at an event in Kentucky.

When asked why she has an AR-15, she said this:

Muller has become a high-profile spokesperson for the gun rights movement. She’s testified on Capitol Hill about carrying a firearm, specifically an AR-15.  


That’s the very rifle that Dick’s is no longer selling.


Cowan asked, “Is it a fair question to ask why you need a gun like that?”


“No,” Muller replied.


“Because?


“This rifle, and any other rifle, kills fewer people than hammers and blunt objects every year, according to FBI statistics,” she said, “so it doesn’t make any sense to me that this is going to solve the problem that we are having.”


Her worry is the same that the National Rifle Association has voiced for a long time: if one gun like the AR-15 is demonized, then all guns may soon follow.


“It leads me to believe that there’s going to be another tragedy with a different gun, that they’re going to come after the next gun,” she said.


“This is the slippery slope?” Cowan asked.


“Until it’s all gone.”

The story ends with Stack being somewhat coy about his future plans for firearm sales at DICK’S. He said it was under “strategic review.” As I noted on Friday, his company is selling eight of their Field & Stream stores to Sportsman’s Warehouse. I would not be surprised to see the remainder either sold or shut down.

Sucks To Be Him

Imagine that you a retired Federal special agent with one of the alphabet agencies. Now imagine that you are in a Congressional hearing as the “resident expert” for one of the anti-rights, gun control organizations. You get stuck next to a former street cop from an department in flyover country. That cop is an attractive woman, has more street cred than you’ll ever have, can out shoot you and most everyone in your alphabet agency, and gets all the TV time after the hearing.

It sucks to be you.

That is what David Chipman faced yesterday in the House Judiciary Committee hearing on banning modern sporting rifles. It helps to explain his petulant little tweet this morning.

Jealous much?

Reading through his biography provided to the committee some things stood out. First, most of his BATFE experience was in management and not as a field agent. Second, he was assigned to the Waco field office and was the “case agent in the Branch Davidian trial”. Third, he parlayed his work with BATFE and as a International Association of Police Chiefs Fellow into either a job with the gun control lobby or in a related industry.

Then there is this tidbit from Cleanupatf.org. They are the guys in the field who got tired of the corruption, back-scratching, and incompetence of the BATFE Headquarters and management.

 When it was brought to the Bureaus attention that Chipman had tried to grease the skids for former ASAC Stankoweicz(sp), the 5th floor was outraged and tanked the contract offer for someone who had so blatantly and publicly disgraced the Bureau. That did not prevent him from sliding into some other non Bureau contracted position. The problem is, that Chipman has been manipulating the Bureau sponsored contractor to pad the BQL with friends. The net effect is that the truly qualified people are not being considered for the positions. It has also been stated that Chipman has delivered HIS version of the BQLs for these contract positions, demanding his buddies be placed at the top of the list. Yep fraud. That simple. Yep the 5th floor knows.

BQL stands for best qualified list.

Finally, what kind of person puts where he or she went to high school on their professional resume? We may be proud of our alma mater but give me a frigging break. Chipman wants you to know he graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. I’m guessing that is a kind of virtue signaling. It says that while he didn’t graduate from an Ivy League college, he wasn’t like the other jack-booted thugs in his alphabet agency. I’m guessing Chipman thinks it signals that he is one of the elite who “care”.

Di Goes To Capitol Hill

Dianna Muller was invited to testify before the House Judiciary Committee today. The topic was “Protecting America from Assault Weapons” (sic). By the title and the composition of the witness panel you knew it was going to hostile to gun rights.

The witnesses included Kristen Rand from the Violence Policy Center (sic), David Chipman from Giffords, Chief RaShall Brackney of Charlottesville, VA, a doctor from El Paso, and the mayor of Dayton, Ohio. The only other pro-rights advocate invited was Amy Shearer of the Heritage Foundation.

Dianna is a retired police officer, 3-Gun champion, and founder of the DC Project. As a police officer in Tulsa, she was assigned to patrol, Street Crimes, Narcotics, and Gang units. She probably has seen more crime up close and personal than anyone else on the panel including the odious David Chipman of Giffords who served with BATFE.

via ytCropper

Double click on the video link above to see the excerpt of Dianna’s testimony. You can find her written testimony here.

Kudos to Dianna and the women of the DC Project who showed up in support of her. Congress needs to hear their stories and what they have to say. It may be like talking to a brick wall. Nonetheless, they are important and need to be circulated amongst those whose minds aren’t closed.

“What Is The DC Project” – Watch And See

The DC Project is the brainchild of competitive shooter Dianna Liendorff Muller. Launched a few years ago, it seeks to have one women from each of the 50 states to go to DC to lobby on behalf of the Second Amendment. These dedicated women converge on DC at the same time and seek meetings with various representatives and senators to discuss why they support gun rights as women’s rights. That is kind of a hard proposition for a rep to turn down without looking virulently anti-woman.

Amanda Suffecool of Eye on the Target Radio and the Ohio representative to the DC Project clued me in that they had just released a couple of videos explaining it. One is a short one-minute video talking about the women of the Project while the second is longer and explains it.

First, an explanation of the Project:

And then an overview of the women.

50 Female Gun Owners Set Sights on Washington DC

The DC Project started by retired police officer and 3-Gun champion shooter Dianna Muller will once again descend on Congress this June. Composed of women from each of the 50 states (or darn close to it), they visit Congressional offices promoting a pro-Second Amendment message.

While they have some sponsorships, they are seeking funding through a GoFundMe page. Their goal is to raise $25,000 and they could use your support in their efforts.

The Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League is a presenting sponsor. Their announcement on the event is below:

AUSTIN, TX — Women from around the country are preparing to travel to the U.S. Capitol as part of the DC Project, a nonpartisan initiative that brings 50 women, one from each state, to Washington, DC, to meet with their legislators about issues addressing the Second Amendment. The women, who will be meeting with Congressional members and staff from June 20-23, 2018, have diverse professional experiences, ethnicity, and political beliefs, but share a common interest centered on the appreciation of America’s gun culture.

The DC Project was started by champion shooter Dianna Muller in 2016 to encourage female shooters to meet with legislators in order to give politicians a direct connection to the fastest growing demographic of gun owners. Females provide unique stories and perspectives on the attraction of the 2nd Amendment, including competition shooting sports, commerce, self-defense, hunting, and conservation.

“The Second Amendment is part of the United States Constitution and does not belong to one party,” said Muller. “Female gun owners are diverse, and have individualized stories and accounts of why this Amendment is so important to them. These stories need to be shared as they are representative of many within legislators’ constituencies.”

A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) is the presenting sponsor of the DC Project. With a nationwide network of firearms instructors and female gun owners, AG & AG is a strong voice for the Second Amendment. Robyn Sandoval, Executive Director, is making her third trip with the DC Project to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

“A Girl & A Gun is honored to be a part of this initiative. As a mother who was a supporter of gun control for decades, I now devote my life to empowering women with the safe use and storage of firearms,” said Sandoval. “It is important that our lawmakers learn our stories and have access to our resources for education on gun-related issues.”

The DC Project will host several events during the week as participants give speeches and meet with lawmakers to address 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, and self-defense.

For more information on the DC Project visit: http://dcproject.info

About A Girl & A Gun

A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) is a membership organization whose events have been successful stepping stones for thousands of women into the shooting community and fostered their love of shooting with caring and qualified instructors to coach them. AG & AG breaks barriers for women and girls in the area of 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 more than 5,000 members in 48 states, with chapters that host recurring Girl’s Nights Out at more than 150 ranges throughout the nation.

DC Project, Round 2

I met champion shooter Dianna Muller at the 2016 SHOT Show when she was just getting the DC Project off the ground. The goal was to have 50 women, one from every state, go to Capitol Hill and lobby Congress on issues surrounding the Second Amendment. She partnered with A Girl and A Gun as a way to spread the message.

I don’t remember if they hit the one from every state objective but there were a largish group of women who stormed Washington in support of gun rights. My friend Cheryl Todd of Gun Freedom Radio in Arizona was one of those women. I remember her telling me how some legislators listened and some like Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) lectured them on the evils of guns.

The DC Project is now heading back to Capitol Hill in a few weeks for round two. From their list of delegates, it appears they now have representatives from 41 states. They still need representatives from Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, North and South Dakota, and Vermont. I can see Hawaii, the Dakotas, and Montana but 2A women in Delaware and New England need to step up. If you are a woman who believes in gun rights from one of those states, you need to contact Robyn Sandoval at robyn@agirlandagunclub.org ASAP.

Below is their official release on the event.

Women to Rally in DC in Nonpartisan Support of Gun Ownership


AUSTIN TX — Women from around the country are preparing to travel to the U.S. Capitol as part of the DC Project, a nonpartisan initiative that brings 50 women, one from each state, to Washington, DC, to meet with their legislators about issues addressing the Second Amendment. The women, who will be meeting with Congressional members and staff from June 12-17, 2017, have diverse professional experiences, ethnicity, and political beliefs, but share a common interest centered on the appreciation of America’s gun culture.


The DC Project was started by Dianna Muller to encourage female shooters to meet with legislators in order to give politicians a direct connection to the fastest growing demographic of gun owners. Females provide unique stories and perspectives on the attraction of the 2nd Amendment, including competition shooting sports, commerce, self-defense, hunting, and conservation. “The Second Amendment is part of the United States Constitution and does not belong to one party,” said Muller. “Female gun owners are diverse, and have individualized stories and accounts of why this Amendment is so important to them. These stories need to be shared as they are representative of many within legislators’ constituencies.”


Muller reached out to A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) to assist with the project. With a nationwide network of firearms instructors and female gun owners, AG & AG is a strong voice for the Second Amendment. Robyn Sandoval, Executive Director, is one of the participants meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.


“A Girl & A Gun is honored to be a part of this initiative. As a person who previously was pro-regulation, I now devote my life to empowering women with the safe use and storage of firearms,” said Sandoval. “It is important that our lawmakers learn our stories and have access to our resources for education on gun-related issues.”


The DC Project will host a rally on the West Senate Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Friday, June 16, 2017, at 2PM. Speakers will include Dianna Muller, Nikki Goeser, Robyn Sandoval, Amanda Johnson, Dakota Overland, Holly Sullivan, and other women of the firearms industry as they address 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, and self-defense.


For more information on the DC Project visit: http://dcproject.info