First Time Gun Owners Should Know This! (ft. Kelly Zachary)

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 down how loaded terms like the Safer Community Act and red flag laws are used to sell gun control, arguing the real loopholes are the criminals and that restoring the Second Amendment right matters as much as good training. Why do gun laws hurt law-abiding citizens while criminals ignore them? The episode makes the case that restrictive gun laws restrain law-abiding citizens while criminals ignore them, which is why Kaylee frames the criminals themselves as the loopholes and calls for restoring the 2A right rather than adding restrictions. How welcoming and safety-focused is the firearms community to newcomers? Kelly's experience and the hosts' discussion paint the firearms community as welcoming and safety-focused, with women's events like Gals Day and groups like the Armed Women of America helping her find her tribe and get started. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and meet Kelly 00:17 — Growing up without firearms in Florida 01:46 — The Nashville school shooting that changed everything 02:35 — Joining Armed Women of America and stacking training 05:03 — Kaylee's own first-pistol story 07:13 — Building confidence to carry loaded 11:05 — Walking into the gun store and Gals Day 13:13 — Finding her tribe and a SIG 365 with a red dot 18:13 — Bringing her husband and kids along 19:49 — Her first SHOT Show and breaking into the industry 29:54 — The Circle Bar, handshakes, and how the industry works 37:45 — The firearm as an equalizer and starting the conversation 43:43 — Loaded language, red flag laws, and the media narrative 51:56 — Soft targets, protecting kids, and the natural right 54:14 — Where to find Kelly Carries and sign-off About the guest Kelly is a Tennessee mom who came to firearms as an adult. She grew up in Clearwater, Florida without guns in the home, moved to Tennessee with her family after high school, and got her carry permit in 2017. After the March 2023 Nashville school shooting, she committed to training and joined the Armed Women of America, where she became a chapter leader. She has taken beginner, intermediate, and advanced pistol classes, the Carry for Life class through LFX Firearms Training, and vehicle defense training. She carries a SIG 365 with a Holosun 407 red dot. She works in photography and videography in the firearm industry alongside Kenzie, the organizer of the women's event Gals Day, and attended her first SHOT Show. She runs a small Instagram platform called Kelly Carries focused on helping women arm themselves and get involved. Key quotes "in the event of a stressful situation, you don't rise to the occasion. You fall to your level of training." — Kelly "So the day after the school shooting, I joined a gym and I joined the Armed Women of America." — Kelly "I just needed to practice and needed to feel confident. And so I just did it and got all the instruction I could until I felt confident" — Kelly "I have found my tribe. This is incredible. There are already women doing this. I'm so excited." — Kelly "Your body can't go where your mind has not gone." — Kelly "firearms are an equalizer. And so I think that that is just an important thing." — Kelly "The best activist we can be is an activist in our own home." — Kaylee "you're making a choice to take your own self protection into your hands." — John