Starting back in February, the DC Project rolled out a series of videos about some of their members, setting the record straight, why firearm education and advocacy is so important, and the value of not coming up with legislative knee-jerk reactions. They took us on a journey that I chronicled in their first video, the following one, and now onto the current one.

In the video entitled “Our Kids Matter”, we’re revisited by founder and leader of the DC Project Dianna Muller, as well as being rejoined by competitive shooter and Olympian, Gabby Franco. Adding to the canon of stories of the DC Project ladies, we’re greeted by Holly Sullivan and Robyn Sandoval. Sullivan’s no stranger to the pages of Bearing Arms, where she was most recently featured in a piece about her testimony in DC. Sandoval, a former anti-gunner, is an accomplished instructor and competitive shooter, as well as the founder and owner of A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League. Sandoval also serves as the Managing Editor for Women & Guns magazine.

In this third and final video in the series, these women talk about the importance of both protecting and educating our children.

We first hear from Sandoval talking about her “a-ha” moment when it comes to the Second Amendment. Sandoval often recounts this story in full, about her watching the footage of the hopelessness and helplessness of the events surrounding hurricane Katrina. One particular anecdote that stuck with her that she’s explained in other interviews involved a parent giving their child to a stranger and telling them that they’d try to find them in a few days. Sandoval summarized some of her her experiences on her transformation to becoming pro civil-liberties:

I used to think that gun owners love their guns more than their own kids. For many years, I was a strong advocate for gun control, until I saw the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a modern American city was debilitated overnight. With looting and violence…and people were scared. 911 was unable to respond, families were left on their own, I suddenly realized that it was my responsibility to protect my children. The uncertainty of those days is similar to what many communities have recently experienced; fear, violence, looting…open the eyes of more than 12 million people who purchased their first firearm in the past two years to protect themselves and their family.

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My daughter is worth the effort. I’m empowering her with the confidence to become her own first responder.

Sandoval so acutely captured a point that pro-liberty persons have been making for years, that we’re on our own and truly are responsible for our own self-defense.

Sullivan gives us a glimpse into her life and some of the challenges involved with being a single mother. Sullivan gets the concept of being a sheepdog in a world of wolves, and wants to ensure that her daughter takes to heat the lessons she herself has had to learn. While everyone’s journey is truly different, Sullivan speaks some universal truths in talking about her path:

As a single mom, I am responsible not only for protecting my daughter, but also for preparing her to be a self reliant, independent woman. I want her to be able to safely navigate the world with empowerment. I choose to teach my daughter firearm safety and raise her with the mentality that her life is worth defending. This is my ultimate goal as a mother. I can’t stop criminals from existing, but I can make sure my daughter grows up as prepared as possible for anything she may face.

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Our children have bright futures ahead of them and thoughts and prayers are not enough. Moms like us value our rights to protect our families. We won’t allow our homes to be overrun by criminals and fear. My daughter will be safer because she knows that self-defense is a human right and that she can safely handle firearms. Your kids need to know this too.

Franco, who delivered very impassioned words in the former video in the series, also brings up the importance of education when it comes to her child and our children at large.

Education is essential to preventing tragedies and abuse of knives, fire and chemicals that we have at home. We teach our children how to properly use these tools and the danger they pose. Why aren’t we doing the same thing with firearms? For some politicians, it seems easier to push for gun control than focus on firearms education. However, any good parent knows this is not an effective long term strategy. The DC project believes we need to utilize educational anti bullying and mental health programs to reduce accidents and curb violence. My son is worth protecting.

The stories that these women tell are important. They are not just their stories, but also the stories of countless other women, who like them, have had similar experiences in their lives. 

Capping off this well produced series of videos, the ladies of the DC Project stress the importance of educating. Not only do we have to educate and prepare our children on all things of this world, but we also have to educate policymakers that wish to turn a blind eye to the realities we face. These are some momma bears I’d not want to get caught in a tangle with,that’s for sure.

To learn more about the DC Project and the heavy lifting they’re doing for the Second Amendment, visit them on the web at https://www.dcproject.info/  Also, please take a chance to watch the latest video in the series HERE or in the embed below: