By Barbara Baird, Women’s Outdoor News
We caught her between airports. Natalie Foster, publisher of one of the most popular girl-gun blogs in the world, Girls Guide to Guns, and recently named a news commentator at NRA News, answered a few questions pertaining to her wild and wonderful lifestyle.
Hailing from the Los Angeles area, Natalie brings exactly the breath of fresh air, and if we may add, a breath of fresh hair, to the shooting industry and its representation.
We think you’re going to feel a bit upbeat after reading this interview.
Natalie Foster. Photo courtesy of Julie Golob
The WON: Congrats, Natalie, on the recent announcement that you are now on the team of NRA News Commentators! We know that you’d long been a fan of NRA News, and a frequent guest on Cam & Co. Can you tell us how this connection happened?
Natalie Foster: Thank you! There is so much diversity within our ranks and I am thrilled to have the chance to show that to the world through my commentator videos, as well as NRA Women’s Network. NRA News, and in particular the Cam & Company show, has been incredibly supportive of women who shoot. They make a point to interview and promote women who are doing their part, whether legislatively, on the range, in the military or law enforcement and, of course, women like you and me, who write for gun publications.
At SHOT show three years ago, I met Lars Dalseide, of NRABlog. He wrote a piece about my blog, Girl’s Guide to Guns, and effectively introduced us to the shooting industry. The next day, Cameron Gray of NRA News tweeted me and asked if I would like to do a quick on-camera interview. Both the blog and NRA News continued to support me and Girl’s Guide and so many other ladies out there. The NRA has continued to build on their women’s programs, including Refuse to Be A Victim and Women on Target and last spring during the NRA Annual Meetings, the NRA Women’s network was announced. They approached me about helping them populate the new site and it took a few months to figure out just what that would look like. Because of what I have seen the NRA demonstrate in terms of supporting women, I decided to accept the offer. We are now off and running and I am thrilled for women in the gun community to see what we have been working on in an effort to support our treasured Second Amendment. The team I have the privilege of working with is second to none and I think you will all be very proud of what they produce.
Natalie will be providing commentary at NRA News.
Photo courtesy of NRA News
The WON: What does this mean for you these days? Travel? Adventure? More guns to shoot?
Natalie Foster: There will likely be a lot more travel coming down the line, but it is the best kind of travel – I get to spend time with some of my favorite people all over the country. So far in the past few months, we have been to Reno, Chicago, D.C., Austin and Waco, getting video of some amazing women and soon we will be in Arizona for some training with friends. I look forward to honing my skills with all of these ladies and, of course, building my confidence and our friendships a little more in the process. NRA Annual Meetings is in May in Houston and that promises to be quite an event. I encourage everyone to make it if at all possible. It is a ton of fun!
Even with all that travel under our belts, right now we are just getting started and we would really like to hear from the readers and viewers as to what content they would like to see from us. Readers can contact me at my website or send us messages via the NRA or Girl’s Guide to Guns Facebook pages. Twitter works, too!
Natalie networks throughout the industry. Here she shares the love with Packing in Pink. Photo courtesy of Natalie Foster.
The WON: What else are you doing these days, besides, of course Girls Guide to Guns?
Natalie Foster: There are a lot of fun things in the works that I am really excited about. Girl’s Guide to Guns is the foundation for my work and within that I sell my line of handmade gun jewelry. In January I began branching out with my writing and will now be working with a couple of magazines on that front. Soon I will begin promoting my upcoming AR-15 line in association with Devil Dog Arms, and I have partnered with Duracoat to create a line of Girl’s Guide to Guns firearm paint as well. FOG Holsters has started manufacturing my custom handgun holsters, which I am very excited about and rounding it all off, I will be hard at work as a commentator for NRA. On top of all of that I am trying to find time to plan my wedding. Needless to say, it is a busy season!
The WON: Did you grow up as a passionate girl? How did this evolve?
Natalie Foster: I definitely always had a cause that I was concerned about when I was growing up. Whether it was saving the whales or taking care of our environment – I was President of the Environmental Club in 7th grade, ha! – I always wanted to leave this world a little better than I found it. During my career in Hollywood, I worked on documentaries and a feature film that dealt with the subjects of injustice and oppression of women and children, specifically in developing countries. I think that is one of the reasons I am so passionate about the 2A. It is the right to bear arms that allows us to defend ourselves; especially those who are the most vulnerable in society. It is one of the many ways in which our country demonstrates the value of human life. In my travels I have learned the importance of the role of our country in freedom and peace for the entire world. America is not perfect, but I firmly believe we are still the last best hope of mankind. It is our Second Amendment freedom that defends all of the other freedoms. And as the leader of the free world, we must continue to stand for these values. It was the foresight of our Founding Fathers and the genius of the Second Amendment that allows us to do just that.
The WON: Where will you be this spring and into the summer with your schedule for the team?
Natalie Foster: We just finished up with A Girl & A Gun national conference in central Texas and I am going to spend as much time as I can at home in Los Angeles before I head out on another crazy run of travel. As I mentioned above, we will be off to Arizona soon and then we head to Houston for NRA Annual Meetings. Keep an eye out for announcements – you might even see a repeat of the gun range tour I did last year. We may just be coming to a range or a gun store near you!
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Thanks to Barbara Baird and to get more Women’s Outdoor News simply click here. (go ahead and click if you are a guy)
