About Us

SECOND AMENDMENT SISTERS Inc. was founded in 1999 by five women who got together on the internet. Deb Altrath of New Jersey, Juli Bednarzyk of Illinois, Dianne Sawyer of South Carolina, Marinelle Thompson of Texas, and Kim Watson of Florida discovered they had something in common - that they didn't want the anti-rights Million Mom March to speak for them. For five months these women, along with a small but dedicated group of volunteers, planned a rally of their own, using the internet to pull all the pieces together. None of them had ever planned such an event before, but the combination of their personal skills and the "must-do" attitude of their supporters enabled them to make a powerful statement on May 12, 2000 - that there were women to whom the Second Amendment meant something, and to whom “gun control” was a false promise.

Marinelle W. Thompson, President
Founder
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Mari is a 68-year-old mother of five, grandmother of 6, and is a 7th-generation, independent-minded Texan. She is active with the Heart of Texas Chapter of Free Republic and civic activism in general.

Her primary goals are to take back our Constitution, and hold all politicians accountable to it. With SAS, she hopes to help educate the public as to the fact that our rights are being eroded daily, and we must act now to save our Republic.   

Favorite quote: "The right of self-defence is the first law of nature: in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible.  Wherever the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction......"  - St. George Tucker, founding father, Revolutionary War hero, Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, and federal judge under President James Madison.  

Barbara Oonk, Vice President
Tennessee Coordinator
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Lynne Roberts, Secretary
Massachusetts Coordinator
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Nancy Errea, Treasurer
South Dakota Coordinator
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Nancy is a South Dakota native who heard about SAS on the radio in January of 2000 - and next thing she knew, she was the South Dakota State Coordinator! Her passion for preserving Constitutional freedoms goes back to her childhood, when, "at the tender age of six, my father explained to me why, if one person owns a gun, the rest of us all need to own one, too." She now owns and operates a gun shop, and since joining SAS has organized 21 free ladies' handgun shoots, in which over 600 women have participated.

Nancy is the very proud mother of Emily, who is a mechanical engineer, and Brian, who has a degree in manufacturing, engineering and technology. She also has 2 grandsons, Charlie and Tommy, courtesy of daughter Emily, and cross-stitches when she finds a spare moment. About her time with SAS she says, "My association with this wonderful group of intelligent, committed women has given me the experience of a lifetime. Together, we make it happen!

Lee Ann Tarducci, Director
Director of Operations
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Suzanna Gratia Hupp
SAS Spokeswoman
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Marilyn Jost, Director
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