Episode Details

Cheryl Todd joins hosts Kaylee and John on Gun Owners of America's State of the Second to make the case that gun-free college campuses leave students unprotected for no good reason. Todd wears many hats. She co-hosts Gun Freedom Radio with her husband, serves as Arizona State Director for Women for Gun Rights, is vice president of the AZCDL and president of the AZCDL Foundation, and sits on the board of the Second Amendment Institute. Campus carry is personal for her. It was the subject of her senior thesis, and she argues that mass murders happen overwhelmingly in gun-free zones because predators look for the path of least resistance. She and the hosts point to real momentum, including campus carry taking effect in West Virginia and more than half the country now having some form of constitutional or permitless carry.

The conversation moves into how the community grows. Todd talks about normalizing gun ownership, her "polka dots are my camo" approach, and meeting new and curious owners where they are. The group digs into practical barriers that turn people away, from the lack of good concealed carry clothing options for women and curvy or petite bodies, to gun-counter staff who sell the wrong tool for the buyer's actual application. They also share why they stopped pairing firearms with liquor in photos and why naming your exact carry gun online can work against you, drawing on a friend who was wrongly accused and a court's habit of digging through everything you have ever posted.

Todd then turns to advocacy and apathy. She recommends three books, walks listeners through how easy testifying is in Arizona's Request to Speak system, and contrasts education-not-legislation messaging with the emotional talking points of the other side. She closes by promoting the rally GOA is taking over in 2025 as the Arizona Freedom Festival, set for March 1st, and points people to Gun Freedom Radio, AZCDL, Women for Gun Rights, and the Faster Saves Lives school safety program.

Questions this episode answers

Why does Cheryl Todd believe gun-free zones on college campuses make students less safe?

Todd argues students are arbitrarily disarmed on campus for no good reason, leaving them unable to protect themselves. She points out that mass murders happen overwhelmingly in gun-free zones because predators look for the path of least resistance.

What momentum is the campus carry movement seeing, including in West Virginia?

Todd points to real momentum, including campus carry taking effect in West Virginia. More than half the country now has some form of constitutional or permitless carry.

Why does Cheryl Todd choose not to name her exact carry gun in public?

Todd warns that naming your exact carry gun online can work against you, citing a friend who was wrongly accused and a court's habit of digging through everything you have ever posted. Keeping it private avoids handing that ammunition to anyone.

What barriers keep new gun owners, especially women, from carrying?

Todd points to the lack of good concealed carry clothing options for women and for curvy or petite bodies, plus gun-counter staff who sell the wrong tool for the buyer's actual application. These practical barriers turn curious new owners away.

What does "polka dots are my camo" mean and why does Cheryl Todd use it?

It is Todd's approach to normalizing gun ownership by meeting new and curious owners where they are rather than fitting a tactical stereotype. The phrase signals that a gun owner can look like anyone.

How easy is it to testify on legislation in Arizona through the Request to Speak system?

Todd walks listeners through how easy testifying is in Arizona's Request to Speak system and mentors women in the state to do it at the capitol. She frames civic participation as far more accessible than people assume.

How does Cheryl Todd think the gun community s