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January 30, 2023

SHOT Show Rewind: The Liberal Gun Club National Spokesperson Lara Smith


By Matt Manda

Lara Smith, Communications Director and National Spokesperson for the Liberal Gun Club, attended SHOT Show® 2023 to reemphasize a very important message for firearm industry manufacturers, retailers, enthusiasts and even non-sportsmen: “Unicorns do exist, and liberals can be gun owners, too.”

Smith spoke about the Liberal Gun Club, a national organization with chapters in 33 states. “We’re the pre-eminent, left-of-center, pro-2A organization in the United States,” Smith said.

What They Do

During the current record trend of Americans of all backgrounds lawfully buying firearms to exercise their Second Amendment rights, buyers included large percentages of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans – demographics with significant liberal-leaning constituencies. The Liberal Gun Club introduces the Second Amendment to individuals from demographic backgrounds that don’t typically own or use firearms. They believe in providing a safe, judgment-free setting for people to learn more about firearms who otherwise would not have or take advantage of that opportunity.

“If you have a new shooter who says… ‘I really want to learn how to use a gun but don’t want anyone to know,’ you can send them to us and we’ll train people,” Smith noted. “We have certified trainers, safety programs… online forums where people discuss all kinds of things relating to firearms… social meetups… We are very big into responsible firearm ownership and teaching people and bringing new people into the sport.”

The Liberal Gun Club is continually holding events and seminars at its chapters and boasts of a membership of several thousand cardholders.

Not an Oxymoron

During the interview, SHOT TV host David Lombardo raised the false presumption that many at SHOT Show might be thinking: that “Liberal” and “Second Amendment” in the same sentence is oxymoronic. In response, Smith laughed and spoke of how her left-of-center group is extremely pro-Second Amendment due to its unflappable support for individual civil liberties.

“If you come… to one of our events, you’re as likely to shoot a Gatling gun as you are to shoot a Glock,” Smith explained. The Liberal Gun Club consists of “true gun owners, true enthusiasts and we truly believe that every single person is entitled to every single civil right, and that includes the Second Amendment.”

Smith explained that a common thread with gun owners across the spectrum is a respect for the Constitution.

“The Second Amendment is just part of the Constitution. It’s not like the Constitution should get divided up between the parties,” she said. “There’s the Second Amendment, and then there’s all the politicking we do. And then there’s the going out and putting lead down the range. We, as the industry, don’t talk about that enough. We talk a lot about self-defense… [but] 99.99 percent of what we do is fun.”

For more information or to reach the Liberal Gun Club, visit www.LiberalGunClub.com and on social media @LiberalGunClub.

To watch the full SHOT TV interview with the Liberal Gun Club’s Lara Smith, click here.

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