Educate, Not Legislate: The Teal Shirt Strategy Explained (ft. Dianna Muller)

Dianna Muller joins State of the Second to explain the strategy behind the teal shirts and the slogan that defines her work: educate, not legislate. A retired Tulsa police officer turned professional competitive shooter, she walks host John through how she went from ignoring politics for most of her adult life to founding the DC Project and Women for Gun Rights. The turning point came when she stood in front of a congressman and asked whether professional shooters should be doing something to educate the people in that building. After Virginia fell in 2019, she realized the real fight was in the states, and she asked the women who had been coming to Washington to go home and meet their own legislators as gun owners. Much of the conversation is about why the other side keeps gaining ground. Muller argues that groups like Moms Demand Action are intentional, organized, and funded, citing a roughly 60 million dollar annual budget on their side against a David and Goliath gap on hers. She points to the Biden administration's Office of Gun Violence Prevention as government money that helped states write red flag laws and universal background checks, and she describes asking the White House for a Second Amendment counsel so the movement's organizations can strategize and row in the same direction. Her answer to the funding gap is participation: become a 40 or 50 dollar member of every Second Amendment organization, take one new person to the polls, and show up for the midterms. The episode closes on practical advice and a personal mission. Muller pushes listeners to be intentional, to study the arguments so they can actually answer why someone needs an AR-15 or why universal background checks are a bad idea, and to keep talking to people and media outlets even after being burned. She makes the case that women can carry the gun-rights message in a way legacy voices cannot, wants firearms and hunter safety education back in schools, and frames competition's pseudo stress as the real training that translates to carrying. She also shares the big announcement: Women for Gun Rights is moving to a paid membership model and launching a 501(c)(3) called Women for Gun Safety to reclaim the word safety, because in her words guns make you safer. Questions this episode answers What does the teal shirt 'educate, not legislate' strategy actually mean, and where did it come from? It is the message on the signature teal shirts worn by Dianna Muller's DC Project women, who meet legislators as gun owners to educate them rather than push new laws. The idea grew from Muller asking whether professional shooters should be educating the people inside government buildings. How did a retired police officer and competitive shooter end up founding the DC Project and Women for Gun Rights? Dianna Muller spent 22 years with the Tulsa Police Department before retiring to shoot professionally, and she ignored politics until she stood before a congressman and realized shooters needed to educate lawmakers. She built the DC Project around one woman per state, then took it to the states as Women for Gun Rights. Why does Dianna Muller say women can carry the Second Amendment message more effectively than traditional gun owners? Muller argues that women can carry the Second Amendment (2A) message in a way legacy voices cannot, reaching audiences that traditional gun owners struggle to reach. She pairs that with a personal mission to build firearms that actually fit women rather than 'shrink it and pink it' versions. How big is the funding gap between gun-rights groups and organizations like Moms Demand Action? Muller describes a David and Goliath gap, citing a roughly 60 million dollar annual budget on the other side, and calls groups like Moms Demand Action intentional, organized, and funded. She says government money under the Office of Gun Violence Prevention helped states write red flag and background check laws. What is a Second Amendment counsel and why is Muller asking the White House for one? It is a coordinating role Muller has asked the White House to create so the movement's organizations can strategize and row in the same direction. She frames it as a way to close the organizational gap with well-funded, intentional opponents on the other side. What can an ordinary gun owner do before the midterms to make a difference? Muller urges participation: become a 40 or 50 dollar member of every Second Amendment (2A) organization, take one new person to the polls, and show up for the midterms. She also says to study the arguments so you can answer why someone needs an AR-15 or why universal background checks are a bad idea. How should you actually contact your legislators, and who should you ask for when you call? Muller tells gun owners to meet their own state legislators in person as gun owners, the same model that built the DC Project. Her point is that it is not enough for you to know their name; they need to know your name. What new organization and membership changes is Women for Gun Rights launching? Women for Gun Rights is moving to a paid membership model and launching a 501(c)(3) called Women for Gun Safety. Muller says the goal is to reclaim the word safety, because in her view guns make you safer. Chapters 00:00 — Meet Dianna Muller and the road to advocacy 02:01 — The teal shirts and educate, not legislate 02:41 — A David and Goliath funding gap 03:12 — Paid membership coming in 2026 05:01 — Why women carry the message differently 07:42 — Government money and the fight in the states 10:57 — Be prepared to have the hard conversations 14:20 — Thirty years of the anti-gun message 16:14 — Take one person to the polls 19:07 — Building guns for women, beyond shrink it and pink it 22:25 — Winning hearts and minds in Virginia 28:55 — Soapbox: frustration with Republicans in power 31:37 — How to actually contact your legislators 42:46 — Firearms education and hunter safety in schools 51:13 — The 501(c)(3) reveal: Women for Gun Safety About the guest Dianna Muller is a retired law enforcement officer, professional competitive shooter, and Second Amendment advocate, best known as the founder of the DC Project and Women for Gun Rights. She spent 22 years with the Tulsa Police Department before retiring a little early to shoot professionally after picking up sponsorships. She started the DC Project by inviting one woman from every state to meet their legislators in Washington as gun owners, then expanded the effort to the state level under the Women for Gun Rights name. She shoots three gun: rifle, pistol, and shotgun. Key quotes "You'll see our signature teal shirts that say educate, not legislate." — Dianna Muller "I want to be safe, and disarming me doesn't make me any safer." — Dianna Muller "I love people when they say I don't pay attention to politics, but politics pays attention to you." — Dianna Muller "It's not enough for you to know their name. They need to know your name." — Dianna Muller "We're trying to take back that name because guns make you safer." — Dianna Muller "But for the most part, girls don't care. We just want stuff that runs." — Dianna Muller