RSWC #094 Gabby Cannons – Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#094
Gabby Cannons
A Girl & A Gun Connecticut

One of the great things about having a show like mine is the referrals. I ask my 2A friends about potential passengers and they’ll reach out to their contacts and let their friends know I may be calling. That’s what happened with Gabby Cannons. I was concerned about getting out of New England during the summer, so Robyn Sandoval (RSWC #080) from A Girl & A Gun (AGAG) connected me with Gabby. I headed down to Hartford to meet with her. We’d been going back and forth since the summer and finally made it happen.

Gabby was introduced to firearms from an old boyfriend. Her next boyfriend certified people to carry as a security guard so she was at the range regularly. The relationships may not have lasted, but her interest in firearms did. When she didn’t have someone to take her to the range, she invited her mother, who was happy to oblige. After she saw a flyer for A Girl & A Gun at the range, she knew this was the group for her.

After a couple years, the other facilitator wasn’t able to keep the commitment to the group, Gabby was approached to take over. She had to meet the AGAG requirements of being an NRA certified instructor, certified in Stop The Bleed, CPR & the SIG SAUER instructor certification. A month before her training at SIG Academy, she broke her hand and had to adapt her training to do everything one handed.

At the AGAG annual conference a few years ago, she volunteered to help load magazines at the “Heligunner”, where women can shoot AR-15s at targets while flying in a helicopter. This is where she met her husband. After two years of a long distance relationship, she was able to convince him to move from Texas (Free America) to Connecticut. We talk about how New England is a bit different from other states and how our laws are a bit out of touch. In both MA & CT, we can own pre-1994 ‘so called’ high capacity magazines.

In 2020, AGAG was able to accommodate their members by doing their annual conference ‘virtually’ and online. The AGAG Connecticut chapter has been meeting online as well. They have monthly online meetings teaching their members about Stop The Bleed, gun cleaning, and other firearms related issues. Please check out their website and Facebook pages to get more information and to join AGAG or the AGAG in Connecticut.

Come with Gabby and I as we get a selfie in front of the Samuel Colt statue at Colt Park and snap a selfie in front of the Colt Museum, both in Hartford, CT.

Favorite Quotes:

“Mom, we’re going to the range.”

A Girl & A Gun “Is exactly what I need. It’s not intimidating.”

“Not only would I be crushed, my heart hurts for people that would never have this opportunity.”

“A Girl & A Gun has high standards for facilitators”

“I’m a big fan of being a student myself. I’m all about starving for new information.”

“We’re friends now because you have access to guns and helicopters.”

A Girl & A Gun Website