Our 2021 Gala Sponsors & their impact

2021 Winter Gala Sponsors

Community supporting community. That’s what we’re talking about!

Many businesses and individuals jumped on board in support of the 2nd Amendment and Women’s Safety. We are truly appreciative of this. The support of many will allow us to expand our efforts in Delaware.

For the past year, our efforts have been fueled by our members and out of our own pockets.

WDC and its members educated constituents on their Representative and Senator, pending legislation & how it would impact them, and their rights.

We were able to provide youth training that focused on the political climate, historical perspective, and provided hands on instruction with multiple firearm platforms.

In addition to community education efforts, WDC and its members logged into legislative committee meetings to speak against bills that would disproportionately impact women. Hundreds of Delawareans signed up and registered to speak in support of their right to access a means of protection that provides an equal means of defense against the evil they have and continue to face.

The 2nd Amendment belongs to everyone. So, why do we focus on fighting barriers to access for women?

It’s simple. More often than not, women and children are viewed as easier targets when it comes to certain and extremely heinous crimes. Delaware’s rate of domestic violence is disgustingly high and women fleeing violence face exponential risks of being murdered. We witnessed this over 7 times in the past year alone.

While our anti-gun members of Legislature may believe creating even more barriers to access will stop this, you don’t have to look any further than New Jersey to see this is just not true.

In addition to Carol Bowne, a woman stabbed to death by her obsessed ex in her own driveway while waiting for her state’s permission to buy a gun…..we found handfuls of other women in NJ who were beaten to death with objects, strangled, stabbed, and set on fire by their abusers. We will not mention the names of those who survived as it would put their safety at risk.

Now, with the community’s outpouring of support, we intend to make it clear to our Legislature… Carol Bowne was not “but 1 woman”, as Senator Kyle Evan Gay scoffed last half of session.

Domestic related murders in Delaware in 2021:

• Stephanie Gill - Shot to death

• Deanna Domick-Dalton - Shot

• Heather Truitt - Shot

• Russel Bell - Shot

• Sandra Nelson - Stabbed to death

• Alicia Grier, Donald Grier Sr, Linda Santucci, Michael Santucci all stabbed to death by Donald Grier Jr

Domestic related murdered New Jersey 2021:

• Melissa Klonolich - Stabbed to death

• Katherine Kelemen - beaten to death with a baseball bat by her father

• Katherine Kelemen’s mother - Beaten with a baseball bat by her husband but survived

• Stefani Caraway - cause of death, neck compression. She was strangled to death

• Mary E Huber - Beaten and stabbed to death

• Ruth Ester Reyes and her children ages 2 & 5 years old - Stabbed to death despite restraining order

• Yasemin Uyar - Strangled and beaten to death

These men, women, and children aren’t all of the victims. Unfortunately, there are more. However, if you’ll notice, harsher gun laws didn’t save their lives. Those laws simply took away a means of protection that was equal to the threats the faced.

WDC and its members firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose her means of protection in a world where monsters have always and will always exist. The TENS OF THOUSANDS of Delaware women who know this first hand can tell you…. with a firearm, they truly live with less fear and more freedom.

Our AG and anti-gun members of Legislature say the Permit to Purchase bill (SB 3) and the Magazine Capacity bill (SB 6) will stop almost 2% of straw purchases and stop mass murders. The Grier family mentioned above is proof that’s just not true.

We say, SB 3 & SB 6 will stop 100% of women from being their own protectors and the protectors of their children.

Where there is risk…. there must be choice. We CHOOSE an equal and adequate means of protection. We DESERVE a fighting chance!

It is because of our sponsors and donors that we will be able to not only combat bad bills, but, we will be able to provide training for some of Delaware’s most vulnerable women. Women who have faced death and survived. Women who no longer want to hide in fear. Women who do not feel safe even in their own homes. They DESERVE a fighting chance.

WE TRULY THANK YOU!

Thank you to those who support the efforts of WDC and who have provided the funds needed in order to educate the state’s most at risk population so we can stop barriers to access for all!

“I carry because I CHOOSE not to be a victim.”