RSWC #139 Kerrie Ann Auclair – Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#139
Kerrie Ann Auclair
The DC Project
Armed Women of America

I have a YouTube playlist of all the DC Project (DCP) members who have been on the show. When I found out Kerrie Ann was the new member for Massachusetts, I sent her the list and asked if she would be on the show. Last fall, we both took a course from Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) and had a chance to talk and set up an interview. A couple weeks after the course, Kerrie Ann went to Florida for the DCP Summit for the first time.

Kerrie grew up here in New England and was very anti-gun when her children were young and she was a new mom. Like many folks, there was an incident that changed her situation on a dime. There was a home invasion in Connecticut, where the father/husband was tied up while the criminals/murderers beat and raped with wife and daughters, then set the house of fire. The father was able to escape the home. Kerrie’s husband heard this story and wanted her to get a firearm to protect their family. After a neighbor who is also a police officer took them to the range, Kerrie was a new woman and wanted to learn much more about firearms and self defense.

While craving to get more training and education, Kerrie found Kelly Pidgeon’s (RSWC #056) channel ARMED and Feminine on YouTube. She immersed herself in the videos on Kelly’s channel. While they two were messaging, Kelly encouraged Kerrie to start a The Well Armed Woman (now Armed Women of America – AWA) chapter. After she found a host range, they had 30 women at the first meeting and all of them signed up to be TWAW members! Neither Kerrie or her assistant were instructors yet but they had a club. One of the most moving things is the stories the other women shared with Kerrie about why they wanted to get a firearm. There is really a strong need for women to learn and train with female instructors. With the defunding of police and the riots of 2020, more and more women are wanting to get trained in firearms.

We spend some time sharing stories about teaching out children firearm safety and even some pepper spray safety. But we also talk about how owning firearms changes how the extended family sees us and what we’re doing, living the 2A lifestyle. Of course, the answer to their questions is ‘it’s a bunch of nunya bidness’! Unfortunately, it’s too bad that others don’t accept that there are different strokes for different strokes!

Kerrie is also the new DCP representative for Massachusetts. This is a title she isn’t taking lightly. She’s working with some local women to educate MA residents how to work with and speak to our state politicians and share their stories. She tells us about when she finally got to the DCP Summit and had the chance to meet Kelly Pidgeon and the others. I’m excited that she used my DCP playlist to learn about the others in the group.

Besides the DCP and the AWA, she’s started her own training business, Ways To Be Empowered. She’s trying to stretch out the training to women and men teaching courses and giving private lessons. She’s also working on building her own YouTube channel and media reach. Kerrie Ann is definitely someone we all need to be watching and following, not just on social media, but in her actions as well.

Favorite quotes:

“I was very adamant about having no toy guns in the house. And then it switched.”

“We understood how important it was to be supportive to these women, to train in a non-threatening environment.”

“You are your first responder.”

“Most of the people I talk to do change their mind….If they decide to have a firearm, we’re here to help.”

“I will never stop fighting for what I think is right.”

“Everyone’s got their own super power.”

The DC Project

https://www.dcproject.info/

Armed Women of America Website

https://twawshootingchapters.org/

Armed Women of America Instagram