INDEPENDENCE: At the Holiday Inn on Rockside Road, models strutted down a makeshift runway in one of the hotel’s ballrooms. At the end of the runway, they gave a twirl and a smile as they lifted their shirt or reached in their bag to reveal a pistol, tucked away safely out of view.
“We wanted to show people it’s not so obvious,” said Amanda Suffecool, the host of the fashion show. “As they walk down the runway, you’re going to be looking for a gun.”
Models showed off 50 concealed carry accessories and clothing items at REALIZE Firearms Awareness Coalition’s second concealed carry fashion show Sunday.
Suffecool is the director and founder of REALIZE, a gun advocacy group that educates about firearm safety and works to defend the Second Amendment.
She said the group’s first fashion show was in 2014, but it only showed women’s fashion. After that good reception, she decided to have a unisex show this year — right before the Greater Cleveland Friends of the National Rifle Association banquet at the same place, so attendees could hop from one to the other.
The show featured a range of products for both men and women, from shirts and corsets with specially made pockets to bags and holsters for a removable option.
“These are everyday people who live everyday lives with concealed carry,” Suffecool said of the models.
Suffecool hosted the fashion show alongside Charlie Cook, also known as the guy with the Glock and the trumpet.
Cook is a firearm instructor from Massachusetts, but he made a name for himself on YouTube by playing popular songs on the trumpet with one hand while shooting a pistol with the other. His videos, called GunGrams, have more than 10 million views combined on YouTube.
Several other people known to the area took part in the fashion show, like former Cleveland Browns player Bob Golic and his wife, Karen, who both took turns on the catwalk.
Many of the designers featured in the show specialize in concealed carry accessories.
Krista Davis, the designer and owner of Urban Moxy (Loaded with Style), said she didn’t realize how irresponsibly she was carrying her gun until she had to pull it on someone trying to break into her car. Sick of leaving it buried in her purse, she started designing when she found there was a lack of accessories that were safe, affordable and stylish.
“No matter how strong women might think we are, I’m always gonna be overpowered by a man,” Davis said. “[A gun is] a necessity. I feel naked without it … Unfortunately, we live in a pretty violent world. It’s the best feeling in the world knowing I’m prepared.”
Gina Spaller, the designer for Spartagos, said she just recently began designing accessories for the same reason: She wanted to carry a gun for safety, but the options she found were limited and unstylish.
“I don’t rely on my gun as a first priority … But a gun’s a showstopper. A lot of the times, you don’t even need to pull the trigger,” Spaller said.
Most of the crowd of 100 championed their Second Amendment rights for personal safety as well, like John Schmitt of Summit County, who wore a baseball hat that proclaimed “Protected by 2nd Amendment Rights.”
“I think everybody should have concealed carry. It’s a right given to the people,” said Schmitt, who didn’t want to say where he lived for privacy reasons. “Criminals will get them whether we want them to have them or not. We don’t need to try to stop criminals anymore. We need to educate the rest of society on what to do.”
Schmitt said gun safety is a No. 1 priority for him when dealing with firearms. He compared handling a gun to driving a car.
“It’s so easy for you to stop thinking about safety,” Schmitt said. “This is no different than that. Cars kill more people than guns do.”
On top of personal safety, some folks at the fashion show preferred to carry guns so they could protect others in need, too, if the situation arose.
“The bad guys have guns, so I think it’s important some good guys have guns too,” said Kellie Ritchey of Mansfield.
“You’re adding something besides evade and elude,” added her husband John Ritchey. “You can actually protect people.”
A&E’s Channel Viceland was also at the fashion show filming for its documentary series called States of Undress, which travels around the world to cover female empowerment through the world of fashion.
“It’s our Second Amendment right [to carry],” said Spaller. “It’s empowering, and it’s fun.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom .