By Lucretia Hughes Klucken
WASHINGTON — Women from across the country gathered in the nation’s capital Sept. 12-14 for the 2026 Women for Gun Rights National Summit, marking a decade of advocacy centered on education, responsible firearm ownership and the constitutional right to self-defense. Women for Gun Rights described the event as a weekend of civic education, Second Amendment training, advocacy and community building.
The three-day summit brought together mothers, daughters, grandmothers, veterans, firearms instructors, business owners and grassroots advocates for training, networking, a gala, a public Second Amendment rally and meetings focused on public policy.
Women for Gun Rights, formerly known as the DC Project, describes itself as a nationwide, nonpartisan organization committed to safeguarding the Second Amendment. Its members believe education—not additional restrictions on law-abiding citizens—is the key to firearm safety and violence prevention.
For me, this was more than another conference. I attended as a Georgia delegate, speaker, mother and woman who has lived through the consequences of violent crime.
My 19-year-old son, Emmanuel, was killed by a convicted felon using an illegally obtained firearm. That loss is why I continue to make a distinction too many politicians refuse to acknowledge: Gun violence committed by criminals is not the same as lawful gun ownership.
The person who killed my son was already willing to violate the law. Another restriction placed on responsible citizens would not have stopped him. Accountability for violent criminals, safer communities and protection of constitutional rights must remain part of the same conversation.
I carried that message onto the rally stage near the U.S. Capitol.
I was given two minutes to speak. Two minutes may not sound like much, but it was enough time to tell the truth. With the Capitol behind me and women from across America standing together, I spoke for Emmanuel, for survivors of violent crime and for every law-abiding person who refuses to surrender the right to protect life and family.
The rally was one of the most visible moments of the weekend, but the work began long before anyone stepped onto the stage.
The summit opened Saturday with a gala and an evening of networking. I met advocates and leaders including Marci Carsey, Barbara Rumpel, Dick Keller, Savannah Craven and Ed Martin. Those introductions were not simply exchanges of names and business cards. They created opportunities for future cooperation, media conversations and stronger relationships within the movement.
The weekend also included visits to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the place where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Standing in those historic places was a reminder that Americans have always been required to speak, organize and participate if they want their rights preserved.
On Sunday, participants attended sessions on civic engagement, the history of the Second Amendment and effective communication with elected officials. The training was designed to prepare advocates to move beyond social media posts and have informed, direct conversations with policymakers.
Later, summit participants took that message into the Metro system through a flash mob. Women recited the Second Amendment and sang the national anthem as Washington commuters and visitors watched. It was peaceful, patriotic and impossible to ignore.
I also met Mark Geist, a Marine veteran and member of the security team that fought during the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya. His presence reinforced one of the weekend’s central themes: Freedom carries a responsibility to understand what is at stake and to defend it with courage.
One of the most personal moments came when Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., appeared onstage. Long before he served in Congress, Clyde sold me my first gun. When I saw him, I ran onto the stage and hugged him.
That moment connected where my journey began with where it has taken me—as a gun owner, congressional witness, advocate and candidate for the National Rifle Association’s board of directors.
The summit also included a White House policy briefing focused on Second Amendment issues. Participants heard from national leaders and discussed the policies affecting gun owners across the country. The opportunity to enter those rooms matters because decisions made in Washington eventually reach every state, community and household.
On Monday, the work continued on Capitol Hill. I visited the office of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and offered to support her future efforts. I gave Blackburn my NRA business card, and she placed it in her pocket. It was a brief exchange, but relationships often begin with one conversation and a willingness to show up.
That lesson followed me throughout the weekend.
Outside the scheduled program, I met Trey Boe of Universal Coin & Bullion. What began as a simple question about whether the company sponsored independent media personalities turned into a conversation lasting more than an hour about faith, personal testimony, media and purpose.
Boe shared something he had written called The Night I Stopped Wrestling. Reading it from his phone brought me to tears because those were words I needed at that moment. We did not merely exchange information. We connected as people.
That is what made the summit powerful. The speeches and policy sessions mattered, but so did the conversations in hallways, outside hotels and between scheduled events. Those were the places where people listened, encouraged one another and began discussing what could come next.
Women for Gun Rights founder Dianna Muller said before the summit that gathering in Washington gives advocates an opportunity to stand together, make their voices heard and return home inspired. That description proved true. The organization’s summit announcement emphasized civic engagement, leadership development, constitutional rights and community building.
The women attending did not all share the same backgrounds or life stories. Some came through law enforcement, competitive shooting or firearms instruction. Others became advocates after surviving violence, raising families or recognizing that personal safety cannot be outsourced.
What united them was the belief that women belong in the national debate over firearms and public safety.
For too long, gun-control organizations have attempted to speak for all women, presenting women only as fearful victims waiting for government protection. The summit offered a different picture: informed women learning the law, engaging elected officials, sharing personal experiences and accepting responsibility for their own safety.
Women are not props for someone else’s political campaign. We are voters, gun owners, mothers, survivors, educators and leaders. We have the right to speak for ourselves.
I returned home sore, tired and smiling. The trip was physically demanding, but it was also one of the most meaningful experiences of my advocacy work. Supporters prayed, donated, shared my mission and helped send me to Washington. I carried their voices with me every step of the way.
The 2026 Women for Gun Rights National Summit was not the end of a mission. It was a reminder that the work continues—in Congress, state legislatures, local communities, media and every conversation where misinformation is allowed to go unanswered.
Education matters. Accountability matters. Safer communities matter. And the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans matter.
Women for Gun Rights brought those truths to Washington. Now the responsibility is to carry them home.
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