Women Armed And Ready Begins With A Bang; Planning Friends Of NRA Banquet

Friday, March 20, 2015 at 7:28 AM

By Mike Perleberg

Women Armed and Ready co-founders Robin Willoughby (left) and Konnie Couch, both of Aurora, say they are making plans to expand their organization on a national scale. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle 99.3. Update published Friday, March 20: Konnie Couch and Robin Willoughby from Women Armed and Ready visited with Eagle 99.3's Bubba Bo Friday morning in anticipation of their national television appearance. The "gals with guns" firearms training organization will be featured on an episode of "NRA All Access" on the Outdoor Channel at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Check your local listings. If you missed it live, you can hear the full interview in the audio player below: [audio mp3="http://eaglecountryonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/war-konnie-robin-03202015.mp3"][/audio] Original story published Wednesday, March 11: (Aurora, Ind.) – When Aurora residents Konnie Couch and Robin Willoughby began their all female, pro-gun organization ten months ago, they had no idea how it would be received. But after numerous newspaper and magazine articles, radio interviews, and television appearances, Women Armed and Ready has grown to 150 members across two chapters with more chapters planned. Eagle 99.3 was the first to report on the group last year. “Women understand now that they can empower themselves to become self-sufficient. The average response time for a police officer to arrive on the scene is anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes and an attack is truly something when seconds count,” Couch says from her office in the hair and tanning salon she and her husband own and operate. The office doubles as a shop selling holsters, bumper stickers, and gun-themed jewelry. More women are packing heat than ever. According to the Indiana State police Firearms Licensing Division, gun permits issued to women in the state have grown 53 percent from 2012 to 2014 while permits for men have increased only 25 percent. Female gun-owners – and users – are on the rise on a national scale, too. WAR, as the founders call the group, is dedicated to arranging affordably priced handgun training, one-on-one lessons, tours, informational meetings, and more for its members. Couch says the idea is not to make the women a modern day, sharp-shooting Annie Oakley, but to make them capable of defending their life or that of a kid or grandkid if put in a threatening situation. WOMEN ARMED AND READY WILL BE FEATURED ON AN EPISODE OF "NRA ALL-ACCESS" ON THE OUTDOOR CHANNEL ON FRIDAY, MARCH 20 AT 8:30 P.M. With others wearing pink around them, women joining the group find the firing range a less intimidating place. “You’ll get up and shoot and somebody next to you will say ’Wow, that was great. That was fantastic!’ You get support from the other female members,” Couch explains. The women who make up the membership range from 22-year-old nurses to housewives to 84-year-old widows. “Every walk of life you can imagine. Some people that have come to us and started training, if I had met them outside the group, I would have never thought they carried a gun, but she carries a gun,” says Couch. The bevy of free publicity WAR has received on various media channels has helped to generate interest from women in 30 other cities across the country who have asked for help establishing their own chapter. Having already added a chapter in Batesville, Couch says she and Willoughby are now gearing up to take WAR nationwide. Women can become a WAR member for an annual $45 fee. They can join on the group’s website or by attending one of the group’s bi-monthly meetings or range practices. WAR Organizing Friends of the NRA Banquet Southeast Indiana Friends of the NRA has taken note of WAR’s rise. The women’s organization was asked and has agreed to take over the local Friends of the NRA’s annual banquet. It’s one of about 1,200 such banquets across the country, but the only one organized completely by women, Willoughby says. The banquet will raise money for grants to support various junior shooting programs, education, and range improvements. This year, the Friends of the NRA has awarded grants to nearly 100 such programs across the state, including a $4,000 grant for Jac-Cen-Del School Corporation and $5,000 for the Friendship-based National Muzzleloading Rifle Association. The Old West-themed event will happen Saturday, August 22 at Dearborn Country Club in Aurora. Tickets can be purchased online or in-person at Big Daddy’s BBQ in Aurora, Panama Pete’s Tanning Spa in Aurora, and Trigger’s Firearms locations in Greendale and Florence, Kentucky. Tickets won’t be sold at the door. WAR is currently seeking auction donations and event sponsorships in the form of table sponsors, VIP tables, and corporate sponsors. RELATED STORIES: “Women Armed And Ready” Hosts Organizational Meeting Tues.