In the process of doing some research for another project, I stumbled into an invitation for a fundraising dinner. Normally another fundraiser is just commonplace, especially in the Second Amendment world where true grassroots activism is alive and well. Every so often though, something will attract a little extra attention because of the circumstances. Take for example the Suffolk County Friends of the NRA dinner that’s coming up on March 28, 2023.

Dear Friends and Supporters of NRA,

We would like to take this opportunity to invite any 2A friendly community members to come down to fundraise for the Suffolk County Friends of the NRA.

This fundraiser is very important to not only the Long Island area, but NYS as a whole.  We offer a secure and safe space for women empowerment, for men as well. We provide education and support in the shooting sports for youth, young adults, couples, and community members.

We would like to introduce ourselves as the Long Island Women’s Firearm Club. We are the first all female led Friends of NRA, Suffolk Chapter, and the first all female chapter in the North East Region.

Aside from the fact that the organization is the first all female cadre to lead a Friends of the NRA chapter in the North East, this is the first time in 15 years that the Suffolk Chapter has hosted such an event.

Something that lovers of freedom are more than keenly aware of is that support for the Second Amendment is alive, well, and growing. It should not have to take a global pandemic and pockets of violent civil unrest for people to understand how important this civil liberty is, but in the wake of events post 2020, we’ve seen exponential growth of interest in firearms for self-defense.

We would like to ask for your time, your high spirited energy, and most of all, your support. This is an important opportunity to support not only the shooting sports, but education about the shooting sports for our youth and empowerment for women.

Please save the date, March 28th at the Stereo Garden,  9 Railroad Avenue, Patchogue, New York. There will be Dinner, Raffles, Games and most of all fellowship! A fun night is awaiting everyone.

Please join us for this incredible night, we hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Lisa Ludwig
Lead Chair
Suffolk County Friends of the NRA &
The Long Island Women’s Firearm Club
Www.liwfc.org

I reached out to Lisa Ludwig, the lead chair of the dinner and founder of the Long Island Woman’s Firearm Club to talk to her about the event. She echoed some of my sentiments, what’s gone on in the country has been near universally accepted as a sign that we’re truly on our own. Ludwig told me a little about Strong Island.

Long island has a long history of not being gun friendly.  Most people think guns are only associated with criminals, gang members, and drug addicts. Flash forward to today, that mindset has changed. Severely.

No longer does Jane Doe feel secure in her Long Island home, and realizes that the Police aren’t coming, and if they do, they take about 30 minutes to show up with 3 other units. They are finally realizing they need to take their future safety more seriously. So the need for good quality training came in.

LIttle did Ludwig realize that the organization she started, the Long Island Women’s Firearm Club, would explode in popularity. She explained that the organization was formed almost a year prior to the start of the pandemic, and not only has the group survived, it’s flourished. The organization acknowledges this in a statement they sent.

Lisa Ludwig opened the Long Island Women’s Firearm Club in 2019, 8 months prior to the start of the pandemic. She saw a need for training from an Instructor who was just like Jane, or Lisa. Lisa grew her grassroots shooting club from the ground up, training all her full female staff, one by one. Lisa states, “It just grew so naturally, and so quickly because they related to me. I am not Military or Police so they connected with me easily”. Lisa stated her Club grew from one chapter with about 30 ladies, to 3 chapters all over Long Island and she also started a Co-Ed Club called the Long Island Firearms Club (www.LIFirearmsClub.com). 

Ludwig told me about the history of the Suffolk County Friends of the NRA organization and how the charter was closed for 15 years. It was after attending a Nassau County fundraising event that ignited Ludwig in wanting to see the Suffolk County group return from being inactive. The absence of the chapter left a void for a decade and a half, with Ludwig stepping up to lend her expertise in organizing the chapter and event.

The upcoming dinner is supposed to have a 50/50, live firearm auction, cash bar, games, and more. The dinner is being held at Stereo Garden in Patchogue on March 28th, 2023. I’m hopeful that Ludwig will be successful in her efforts to continue to spread the gospel of the Second Amendment in the traditionally hostile waters of the United State’s largest coastal island.