Sandy Froman believes America's civil rights are not being protected

08:11 AM MST on Wednesday, July 21, 2004

By Rebecca Taylor, Fox 11 News

It's the most powerful pro-gun lobbying organization in the nation and a Tucson woman is poised to become its leader.

In April 2005, the National Rifle Association will swear in Sandy Froman as its president.

Froman will succeed Charlton Heston, the actor-turned-activist whose "from my cold dead hands" anti-gun-control slogan defined his tenure as NRA president. Heston suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

Froman was 30 years old when she picked up her first gun, as a means of self-protection after an attempted home invasion. As president of the N.R.A., Froman plans to address and protect the civil rights of minorities, something she believes has been overlooked in the past.

In an exclusive interview with Fox 11 News, Froman said, "We take our rights for granted and as long as our garbage is pick up once a week we this the world is okay. People don't realize how easy it is to lose our rights."

Froman calls the N.R.A the oldest and largest civil rights organization in America.

"Historically it's been shown that when people who had a right to vote were prevented from going to the polls, they were able to protect themselves from violence and from the people who wanted to do them harm because they had firearms," Froman said.

Ten years ago, Froman was instrumental in passing a law in Arizona allowing people to apply for a permits to carry concealed weapons. Today, more than 67,000 Arizonans have concealed-carry permits.

Froman supports a controversial bill that allows patrons to carry guns into restaurants that serve alcohol.

"I think law-abiding citizens, peaceable people ought to have the same rights as criminals to protect themselves," Froman said.

But Tucson City Council Member Carol West believes America has become a nation of fearful people, too quick to purchase guns for protection.

"I think it's unnecessary. A patron doesn't need to carry a gun into a restaurant. Part of that has been perpetrated by these gun-rights groups who want people to feel afraid," West said.

West hopes to have an opportunity to meet with Froman. One issue she'd like to discuss is ways that parents can keep guns away from kids.

At Pima Pistol, a shooting range north of Tucson, members described their reasons for joining the N.R.A., calling it a hobby as well as a means of self-protection.

"Along with all the safety reasons, and getting young people interested in firearms and teaching them to use them properly, show the good parts about firearms, not always the bad," Gary Szczepamski said.

"As I got more involved in shooting and more worried about my second amendment rights the N.R.A. seemed like the only big lobbying group that cared about my second amendment rights," Debbie Ferns said.

And while Froman doesn't have her own Heston-like trademark phrase just yet – "I haven't thought of one, the wheels are spinning," she said – she's working on one.

"I tell people to join the N.R.A.," she said.