Episode Details

Kelly came to firearms late and on purpose. She grew up in Clearwater, Florida, didn't grow up around guns, and her only early exposure was the wooden rifles her dad kept with a trigger lock. She got her carry permit in 2017 and then did nothing with it for years. What changed everything was March 27, 2023, the day of a school shooting in Nashville. She had friends with kids who went to school there, it hit home, and she decided to stop being unprepared. The day after, she joined a gym and joined the Armed Women of America.

From there she went all in. She took beginner, intermediate, and advanced pistol classes, the Carry for Life class through LFX Firearms Training, vehicle defense training, and a women's situational awareness class where one line stuck with her: in a stressful situation you don't rise to the occasion, you fall to your level of training. She talks through the real process of becoming a carrier, trying firearms at a range rental and at a women's event called Gals Day, figuring out what fit her hand and her body, carrying unloaded for a while, then loaded, then finally feeling confident enough to carry outside the house. She landed on a SIG 365 with a Holosun 407 red dot. She also found her way into the industry through photography and videography work with Kenzie, the Gals Day organizer, which led to her first SHOT Show.

Hosts John and Kaylee, who work as media faces of GOA, dig into how welcoming and safety-focused the firearms community is, what it's like to walk into a gun store or SHOT Show for the first time, and how much of the industry still runs on handshakes and relationships. The back half turns to advocacy. Kelly makes the case that a firearm is an equalizer and that the conversation itself is the bridge for people who would never call themselves gun people. Kaylee breaks down how loaded language like the Safer Community Act and red flag laws is used to sell gun control, why the loopholes are the criminals, and why restoring the Second Amendment right matters as much as good training.

Questions this episode answers

What finally pushed Kelly Zachary from holding a carry permit to actually carrying a firearm?

Kelly got her carry permit in 2017 but did nothing with it for years. The March 2023 Nashville school shooting, which hit close to home because friends had kids in school there, pushed her to stop being unprepared, and the day after she joined a gym and the Armed Women of America.

How do you build the confidence to carry a loaded gun with a round in the chamber?

Kelly built confidence in stages, carrying unloaded for a while, then loaded, then finally outside the house. She leaned on stacked training and repetition until she felt ready, summing it up as needing to practice and get all the instruction she could until she felt confident.

What's the smartest way to figure out which firearm and holster actually fit you?

Kelly recommends trying firearms hands-on, using a range rental and a women's event called Gals Day to find what fit her hand and body. That process led her to a SIG 365 with a Holosun 407 red dot.

What is it like walking into a gun store or SHOT Show as a complete beginner?

Kelly and the hosts describe the firearms community as welcoming and safety-focused for newcomers, and much of the industry still runs on handshakes and relationships. Her own path led to her first SHOT Show through photography and videography work.

Why does Kelly Zachary call a firearm an equalizer, and how does she bring it up with non-gun people?

Kelly argues a firearm is an equalizer and that the conversation itself is the bridge for people who would never call themselves gun people. She frames carrying as a personal choice to take your own self-protection into your hands.

How does loaded political language like the Safer Community Act and red flag laws shape gun policy?

Host Kaylee breaks