An abundance of Trump flags dotted the cornfield-lined state route through Richland County on a dreary February day.
But inside an unassuming farmhouse in Shelby, a small rural town just outside Mansfield, a group huddled under Palestinian, Ukrainian and rainbow pride flags.
Their politics are demonstrably left leaning, but believe it or not, they're packing heat.
“Do we want to head out to the range?” asked Matt Shepherd, an instructor for Ohio's chapter of the Liberal Gun Club.
Shepherd ushered his students to the snow-dusted yard after six hours of classroom instruction. He stapled several paper plates, tagged with the participants’ names, to a wood board for target practice.
"Stand back, and you can fire when ready," he said.
Emma Oaks planted her feet and inhaled a sharp breath. She pulled the trigger, and five gunshots rang out, crackling in the crisp winter air. Oaks, a 28-year-old queer woman from Columbus, stepped back to marvel at striking the target.
“I was pretty satisfied," she said with a laugh. "It must be all that 'Call of Duty' I played."
Oaks grew up in an anti-gun family, and she advocated for gun control laws as a young adult. But after President Donald Trump was elected to his second term, she said she changed her mind.
"The murder of Renee Good really hit me hard because I could see myself in her position doing what she did," Oaks said. "And at that moment, it kind of hit me that I should probably have some form of self-defense."
More liberal women like her say they are buying guns after federal immigration agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year, one of whom lawfully brought a gun to an anti-ICE protest. Initially, top officials like Vice President J.D. Vance and then-Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed the pair were threatening officers' safety and engaging in domestic terrorism. Minnesota's state prosecutor recently launched an investigation into those and other incidents related to the immigration crackdown.
"A lot of people who I don't trust and who I think may be violent own guns," Oaks said. "So, I think it is time for me to own one as well."
Ed Gardner, the director of The Liberal Gun Club, a national organization with 34 chapters covering 38 states, said requests for training always spike in election years, but they're at an all-time high now, with nearly as many training inquiries a month into this year as the entirety of last.
"To a certain extent, the reason these people are becoming interested in this is because they see themselves reflected in Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s faces," Gardner said.
Research shows conservatives are far more likely to have pro-gun sentiments. A 2024 study from the Pew Research Center found that 45% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents say they own a gun, as compared to 20% of Democrats.
That same study showed a majority of Americans, like Oaks, favor stricter gun laws.
"You look at countries with actually effective gun control, like Australia, for example, where gun crime rates are significantly lower than here," Oaks said. "However, I don't live there, I live here."
Ohio does not require training or a permit to purchase or use a firearm for anyone 21 or older, but Oaks and her friend, Erin Ramsby, said they want to learn how to properly handle a gun.
Ramsby, who also grew up in an anti-gun family, said her views changed after the training.
"I would say sort of just learning more about the reality behind guns aside from, like, the sort of boogeyman narrative that happens a lot on the left," Ramsby said.
As a trans woman, Ramsby was concerned about her safety at a gun range or training hosted by right-wing groups like the National Rifle Association.
"Now that I have been transitioning for about two years, I feel I am more visibly queer ... I don't really necessarily feel super comfortable being identified in that way, especially in a space that isn't historically very queer accepting," Ramsby said.
Research shows LGBTQ people are five times more likely to be victims of violent crimes than those outside that community. Ramsby cited self-defense as her motivation to attend the Liberal Gun Club training.
The group doesn’t just attract novices. Others, like 30-year-old Daniel Lane, grew up in conservative households shooting guns from a young age. Lane has trained with the U.S. Concealed Carry Association and the NRA but said this is a chance to build community with people who have some of the same values as him.
"It doesn't matter where you fall on the political spectrum; everyone should be practicing this right," Lane said.
And it’s clear, in Shelby at least, many are practicing that right. As the group practiced shooting, someone in the distance fired off a few rounds in response.
"There’s always a choir," Shepherd quipped.
"Always," agreed another regular shooter.
The pair laughed and turned their attention back to the range.
