Ladies, who says we can’t have it all? Who says we have to choose between carrying our child and carrying our loaded firearm? Certainly not Melody Lauer, an Iowa mother of three and gun owner who is offering a “Babywearing and Carrying” class to moms (and some dads) who want to pack some heat and pack on the kid at the same time.

Lauer is uniquely qualified for this course, thanks to a strong background in both guns and attachment parenting. After receiving her firearm instructor credentials through the NRA, the Harvard of gun education, she worked in sales and as an instructor at gun stores and shooting ranges. Lauer has also, at the same time, worked at an “attachment-parenting center” that teaches childbirth, babywearing, and breastfeeding classes.

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Outrageously, there were no baby-wearing-while-gun-wearing classes. Enter Lauer! “The idea for the class came out of hearing about the kid in Idaho who shot his mom recently,” Lauer recalled. “That touched me in a very deep way because my daughter was 2 at the time. I thought, there’s no reason this should happen. We are adults and can be responsible.”

So, Lauer decided to take the adult and responsible step of teaching parents how to carry their babies and their guns at the same time. The first class, held in February at Crossroads Shooting Sports, Central Iowa’s premier shooting range and training center, attracted a dozen moms and a handful of dads. It was so popular, they’ve had to limit the registration for upcoming classes. And Lauer is already booked for more gigs like a larger weekend workshop this month, teaching at other shooting ranges and talking at chapters of the Well-Armed Woman, a national organization for female gun owners.

It’s no wonder Lauer’s classes are so popular. First of all, she is totally committed to her baby-toting-gun-toting lifestyle: “I’ve coslept with my babies, I’ve been wearing my babies, I’ve loved them, and I’ve worn a gun the whole time.” Aw!

Also, her tips are brilliant, surprising and counter-intuitive. You’ll learn, for instance, not to keep guns loose in drawers or bags but to always use a holster. And, Lauer teaches, “If you have baby on one side, it’s best to have gun on the other side.” Who knew?

In all seriousness, some lessons are genuinely surprising and illogical. Lauer says, “I always caution people if they are carrying a gun to feel safe, then they are carrying it for the wrong reason.” This, of course, begs the question, what is the right reason for carrying a gun?