It is no surprise that for months the annual Women’s Fun Shoot at the Oklahoma City Gun Club (OKCGC) has been sold out. However, this year marks it’s 25th year. This annual event began in 1999 when Suzi Rouse approached the board at the Oklahoma City Gun Club to start a women’s division. “At that time, my husband and I had been members for a couple years. The presence of women on a shooting range was sparse then and my objective was to figure out a way to
generate an interest while providing a welcoming and safe environment. Walking into that board meeting not knowing how I was going to be received was unnerving and overwhelming. Of course, all my worrying was for naught, as the Board voted unanimously to create the first ever Women’s Division,” said Suzi. With the women’s division in place, the next step was an event where women could be introduced to the shooting sports. At the same time the NRA was launching their Women on Target program. “The timing was perfect, and the information and training materials were invaluable in getting our inaugural women’s instructional shooting program off the ground,” explained Suzi. Twenty-five years later, this is now an event where each year 350 women and youth participate with one-on-one instruction as they rotate through four shooting disciplines. Attendance is capped off so that quality one-on-one instruction is maintained. Despite the cap, this is still the largest women’s shooting event held in the nation. Jana Butcher has been volunteering for ten years at the fun shoot; “I believe that whether a woman ever plans on owning a gun or not, we all should know how to safely handle, operate and store a firearm. This shooting clinic will teach you those things in a safe, supportive and low-pressure setting with a one-on-one instructor and a variety of firearms. Everyone turns into everyone’s cheerleader!” Jana continues with advice for anyone wanting to attend, “Because we value the individualized attention for each person, enrollment is limited so registering early is important. Registration for the WFS usually begins mid-January via the OKC Gun Club website under the Women’s Division.” Mark Vaughan, who was recently elected as 2nd VP of the National Rifle Association and is President of the Oklahoma Rifle Association, has volunteered for nearly every fun shoot over the past 25 years. “When you come across an event as impactful as the Women’s Fun Shoot at the Oklahoma City Gun Club, it reveals the best kind of leadership that is found in our firearm community, leadership
that steps up and shows up in new and impactful ways!” Little did Suzi know that when she stepped up to form a women’s division, that she would later become President. Her impact not only with the Women’s Fun Shoot, but her leadership at one of the nation’s largest gun clubs, has been recognized over the years by the NRA as the 2005 recipient of the Marion P. Hammer Women on Distinction Award, along with the Oklahoma City Gun Club receiving the 2019 NRA Don C. DiBiasio Outstanding Club Award and the 2023 NRA Club of the Year Award.
Women on Target is one of many opportunities offered by the NRA for clubs to reach out and engage with their local communities. “On behalf of the millions of members of the NRA, I offer my congratulations to Suzi on 25 years of leadership within the Oklahoma City Gun Club,” said Doug Hamlin, NRA Executive Vice President & CEO. “OKCGC has experienced tremendous success and growth under Suzi’s watch. Her dedication to the Second Amendment and firearms safety is demonstrated by the many accolades received by the club throughout the years. It is because of strong leaders like Suzi that gun rights are alive and well in the Sooner State.” The true success of this event is seen in the words of Traci Rasmussen, who travels from out of state to attend with her mother and daughters making this a generational
celebration each year. “Once again that special day in September is approaching and we’ll have a full carload of as many of us that can attend. I’ll gather my girls from three or four different homes around Houston. We’ll venture out to Grandpa and Grandma’s house in Edmond, Oklahoma. We’ll drive close to 1000 miles in a time span of 46 hours.Why? Because we can do that in our free country. Because it’s our right to bear arms but our responsibility to learn how to use them, keep them and store them in a safe manner. Because events like this are important for us as women. Because the things we’ll learn and practice in that single day is invaluable.We will do it and we will keep doing it because it’s worth it.” Registration begins in January and fills up by April every year, so signing up early is encouraged! For more information, contact Suzi Rouse, President of the Oklahoma City Gun Club at president@okcgunclub.org