Tony Simon founded Second Is for Everyone in 2015, a program that runs firearm-safety events open to all genders, races, and backgrounds. What started as six events yearly at one New Jersey range has grown to twenty events across five ranges, plus sessions in Pennsylvania and Nebraska. Simon is turning it into a nonprofit and planning a touring model.
Hi. All right, are you ready? Are we ready? All right, tell me if it looks good. We good? All right.
Are you—
we're not that close. All right.
Um, all right.
Hey everybody, welcome to SHOT Show 2024. My first time and I'm super excited because I'm running into people like Tony here. And, uh, Tony, I told you at the beginning of this we're gonna do 3 questions. First, tell my friends, who are you and what do you do?
My name is Tony Simon and I'm in the largest pound-for-pound gun bunny in America.
He's also the sexiest gun bunny, just so Clear.
You never get it twisted. Yes, I am.
Okay.
But I run an organization called the Second Is for Everyone Diversity Shoots that reaches out to all people regardless of gender, race, sex, sexual orientation, political background. I don't care. You're invited. I'm going to tell you about the Second Amendment at our events, introduce you to firearms in a safe manner, uh, have you shoot imports with my guys and talk about the Second Amendment and how you can support it and introduce you to Second Amendment advocacy groups. That's what we do. Oh, and we have pizza and we have prizes and we have a good time.
Oh, and where do you do these I do these things in New Jersey.
So I've been doing it since 2015. We started off at one range every other month, Gun for Hire range in Woodland Park, every other month, 6 events a year. Now we're up to 20 events a year. We do them every 2 weeks and we're working with 5 ranges in 2024.
That is awesome. Do you ever go outside of state?
Yes, I do. Actually, we were in Pennsylvania for 3 years and also did an event in Omaha, Nebraska, and we're doing it again this year.
The one in Omaha?
Not the one in Omaha. We're going to try to set up an actual tour 'cause I'm starting a 501(c)(3). So follow me at diversityshoot.com so you can get the good news, or Simon Says Train on Instagram when I make the announcement, even though Instagram has retarded our reach because they hate us. But we're trying to grow it because we're inviting all people 'cause this is a human right, a natural right of self-defense, and we need to fight for it because it should be apolitical.
All right, that's true. Just like violence prevention is not a political thing, or it shouldn't be.
Not at all.
All right, so my other question I had for you is, what is the one thing you wish people actually knew about gun people versus what the media tells people about gun people?
We don't fit into the boxes that they try to shove us into. I am not a conservative Republican. If you haven't noticed, I'm not a white guy.
Wait, are you sure?
Are you sure?
Okay.
I am a little overweight, slightly.
Hey, hey, watch out the bellies, man.
That's right. I've been making people look skinny in photos since 1993.
Here we go. He does have the bigger belly.
It's true. So the whole thing is we're people. We're We're the people down the street. We're the firefighters. We're the volunteer EMTs. We're the teachers. We're everybody. You never know who's a firearms owner, but we're trying to get firearms owners to be politically active and educated.
All right. Thank you, sir.
Thank you, ma'am.
I'm so glad I got to run into you.
Yep.
And, uh, yeah, run your, uh, diversityshoot.com.
If you find me on Instagram, it's the Second is for Everyone or Second is for Everyone. X, Second for Everyone, and Facebook, the Second is for Everyone.
What's the Tony Simon? Simon Says?
Oh, Simon Says Train? That's on Instagram. Okay. All right.
I knew there was another one. All right.
That's it.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
