You Do NOT Want to Miss This!

Just 79 days from today, on January 18, 2024, Iowa Firearms Coalition is holding its annual 2A Lobby Day at the Capitol!  IFC has every reason to be proud of its signature event.  Prior years have included featured speakers such as Kris “Tanto” Paronto (Benghazi/13 Hours) and Stephen Willeford (“The Barefoot Defender”/Sutherland Springs Church Shooting).  IFC makes a special effort to bring speakers to you not just for what they have done, or what they know, but for the hard experiences they have had and the wisdom they can share with us.  And I’m sure you know by now that Gabby Franco is our featured speaker for this year’s big event!

Why Gabby Franco?  Is it because she was the first female shooter to represent her home country of Venezuela in the Olympics in shooting sports?  Is it because she was the only female Top Shot contender who made it to the final stage of the competition (Season 4), and and the only woman to compete in the “All-Star Season” of Top Shot?  Or is it because in 2013 she published a book Troubleshooting: Mastering Your Pistol Marksmanship?  Well…yes — partially.

For 30 years, Gabby has been a successful competitive shooter, an instructor, a speaker and a die-hard volunteer.  She is an avid fighter for freedom, advocating for the right to keep and bear arms, and protecting our constitutional rights.  Her shooting skills are legendary and widely acclaimed.  She has been featured on IFC’s Warrior Wednesday Episode 54 (March 1, 2023) with John McLaughlin, and Episode 69 (October 25, 2023) with Michael Ware.

The Rest of the Story

Back on February 8, 2021, Gabby participated via Zoom in an IFC hosted panel discussion with Iowa State legislators to describe what it was like growing up in Venezuela and how their citizens’ rights were incrementally stripped away. Citizens could not own guns any longer, and Venezuela became a very dangerous country.  It was the drastic changes in her home country that drove Gabby to the US, where she became a citizen.  Her story is a cautionary tale and one that bears a striking resemblance to many of the gun-control efforts taking place in the US today.  And THAT is why you need to hear her story.  That is why Gabby Franco is our featured speaker for the upcoming 2A Lobby Day.

But, besides her accomplishments, Gabby demonstrates a quality of character and perseverance that is admirable.  It is not as much what she has done as who she is that makes her so very impressive.  I want to share something with you that shows her spirit, her determination and her drive.  She credits her Olympic training for her abilities to “dig deep”, put failures behind her and move forward with optimism:

Tough Times Turned Around

If you’d like to read the entire NSSF article, here is the link.

“It’s that mindset learned through Olympic shooting that help get Franco through one of those tough patches we all hit in life.

“I lost my job. My ex-husband left me. I was at rock-bottom — dead,” she says. “I remember sitting and crying and not knowing what to do. [But] the mentality of shooting that I learned in Olympic shooting is that you don’t dwell in the past. If you have a bad shot, you don’t worry about the bad shot. You don’t even worry about the future. You don’t worry about what the next shot is going to be, that is not your concern.”

With that lesson learned through shooting, Franco didn’t dwell on the past or anguish over the future. Instead, she focused on the here and now, asked herself what Gabby the shooter would do and made a plan.

“I started thinking,” she says. “I was like, ‘Okay, I can cry all I want over what’s happening to me, but what can I do right now to get out of this situation?’”

Franco knew she could shoot; she had made it to the Olympics after all. She remembers thinking, “I think I can teach one or two things to people about how to shoot well, and that is when I decided I was going to be an instructor.””

I could go on and on with accolades about Gabby’s achievements.  Instead, I will share the links below with you so you can explore for yourself, while you wait the next 79 days to meet her in person @ IFC’s 2A Lobby Day!  I am beyond excited to meet this remarkable woman!  I hope you will join us for a great event to give Gabby Franco a very warm welcome.

Please note: this year’s 2A Lobby Day event begins at 9AM.
The program is from 10:00-12:00. 
See Flyer for additional information.

Further Information About Gabby

Gabby on Walther Arms Performance Division (Shooting Team)
Gabby’s website
Gabby on YouTube (you’ll find videos, competitions, training & tips, etc.)
Gabby on Facebook – check out her Reels & Videos (found under “About Gabby”)

Join the fight for our Second Amendment rights.  Join IFC.  We need every voice.  The threats are increasing every day.

Second Amendment Matters.