The 2023 SHOT Show was a great experience for many people. Aside from being a giant family reunion of sorts, the show does garner many great business opportunities. The personal and business relationships that get built at events like SHOT have eddies and effects that’ll pay off dividends for years to come. Part of those business opportunities include grassroots organizations getting an opportunity to pitch themselves to different companies. Friend to Bearing Arms and grass roots organizer Tony Simon is one such person who walked away from SHOT Show with good news. Simon recently announced that his organization the 2nd is For Everyone Diversity Shoot managed to get an ammunition sponsor for the year.
Simon and his organization is no stranger to the pages of Bearing Arms or Cam and Co for that matter. Chronicling the work that Simon has been doing over the years has been pleasurable, and watching his organization grow shows what real grassroots efforts are all about. Much of Simon’s story and the inception of 2A4E was reported on back in 2021 when Simon brought the Diversity Shoot to Nebraska.
Tony Simon, founder, is a USMC veteran, 2nd Amendment rights advocate and firearms trainer and co-founder of the Minuteman Challenge competition. He also hosts the 2A4Epodcast. DiversityShoot.com is dedicated to getting people of all races, religion, and sexual preference involved in the 2nd Amendment political movement. You can support our mission by becoming a patron at Patreon.com/The2ndisForEveryonepodcast.
The crux of Simon’s 2A4E is that they celebrate and encourage diversity of people, embracing the equality that our founders enabled us to implement in this country. This right, the right to keep and bear arms, is a civil right for all people, not just white, straight, cis gendered, ones. He talked to me about his muse:
I dreamed it up after noticing the lack of minority participation in the political process of fighting for our rights. It came together in my head in February 2015 and we ran with it.
A big part of what Simon does at Diversity Shoots is introduce new shooters, regardless of race, sexual identity, age, color, etc. to handling and using firearms. Through the help of his volunteers, Simon has coached and instructed thousands of first time shooters through 2A4E. SImon is able to accomplish this task through host ranges donating space and lanes, volunteers lending their time and firearms, and through the donation of ammunition. The small fees that Simon charges for people to participate in one of his Diversity Shoots helps cover the costs of pizza, gas, and other operating expenses. All the rest comes out of the pocket of Simon or his volunteers.
While at SHOT Show, Simon had the opportunity to meet with the folks from Ammo Lab, a national ammunition distributor to dealers, law enforcement, and enthusiasts. After a brief discussion, Ammo Lab readily committed to helping donate ammunition for 2A4E’s teaching and safety program. Ammo Lab, operating out of the Live Free or Die State of New Hampshire, is an ardent supporter of rights, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The company is no stranger to volunteer and charity donations. CJ, one of the company’s sales managers, oversees the donation of ammunition to the 4H Youth program, which teaches safety in the shooting sports. Ammo Lab also donates fishing supplies to a Fishing Charity for Kids, run by the Bennington Sports Club in NH. There are other charities that Ammo Lab supports as well, most notably during their Annual Ammo Fest Event. Ammo Lab donates a portion of the profit to select charities from their event sales.
When speaking with the Ammo Lab team, they said “this is something we are passionate about, and without introducing people to the shooting sports, the tradition of exercising the Second Amendment will wither. Supporting organizations that further education of the sport, teach proper safety practices, and hold strong values and a sense of responsibility to God and country are critical to our core values as a company. We also support our law enforcement and their ability to properly train and protect the public.”
Learning about Simon’s partnership with Ammo Lab was exciting. In talking to him about it, he expressed some of the stresses involved in running 2A4E, “The 2nd is For Everyone: Diversity Shoots easily burns through 1000 rounds of ammo per event. My volunteers have been paying for the ammo they use to introduce people to firearms, firearms safety and shooting.” Simon became a victim to his success and said:
It wasn’t a financial strain when we hosted 6 events a year. Due to our success, we’re now hosting 20 plus events per year. AmmoLab has signed on as our ammunition sponsor in 2023 and I can’t be happier. Due to their donation, my guys won’t have to dig as deeply into their pockets as they introduce new people to firearms, shooting and firearms safety. Thank you to Ammo Lab for making it easier to introduce people to the human right of armed self-defense.
Seeing good people, good companies, and good organizations come together is heartwarming. Simon’s continued efforts with 2A4E don’t go unnoticed, and Ammo Lab, still a fairly new company, saw an opportunity to help grow our community. Many congratulations and thanks to both Simon and the good folks at Ammo Lab for their efforts in preserving our civil liberties, and for being great ambassadors to the newly initiated.