Purposeful Giving

Ring of Freedom Heritage Society member Steven Shropshire describes himself as a "God-fearing, gun-toting, conservative" individual. "I like affirmations—they build persistence," he shared. "I try to find purpose and meaning in everything I do."

For Shropshire, his purpose and meaning apply to every aspect of his life: his family, his law career, the community where he and his wife live, his passions and pursuits and his philanthropy.

Shropshire spent the majority of his early life in Lubbock, TX, the oldest boy in a large, blended family. "Lubbock is not the prettiest area with its high plains, dusty desert, tornados and snakes, but the people are wonderful."

"I had a really great childhood. Seems like every weekend, my father would load us kids in a motor home and take us somewhere in Texas, Colorado or New Mexico. We would camp, play, fish and hunt most of the year and ski in the winter," he recalled.

Shropshire's love of guns—and his appreciations for his right to keep and bear arms—was nurtured early on. As a child, Shropshire can remember proudly showing off his NRA card sitting in a deer blind, waiting for his turn to shoot. Shropshire and his wife, Sonya, became life members at the NRA Annual Member Meeting in 2002.

Living near Bellingham, WA, Shropshire practices law while being outdoors as much as possible. "We have the largest blacktail deer in our neck of the woods, and I really enjoy the challenge of bowhunting them on our own property," said Shropshire. Prior to COVID, he spent 31 consecutive August months salmon fishing in Canada and is eager to return when the border opens again. Typically, he takes time off 4-5 months of the year to hunt and fish, and he works on his property almost every afternoon, maintaining his sporting clays course or "building, planting, chopping down, burning or shooting something."

Shropshire's passion for the land and hunting compelled him to become involved in land use regulation in his community 15 years ago. "We fought and won the right to always shoot firearms on 10 or more acres of property, and to shoot bows on at least five."

He was also actively involved in providing firearm lockboxes in his county's courthouse and City Hall for those, like he and his wife, who carry. "The NRA was helpful in providing the model law on the shooting regulations. Thankfully, Washington State has pretty strong Constitutional and statutory protections for firearms that limit gun-free zones."

In recent years, the Shropshires have expanded their support to include generous gifts to the NRA Foundation in their wills. "I am fortunate in my law practice to have clients who are friends first and foremost. Though my area of expertise is real estate transactional law, I have helped some of them with their wills and estate plans," he said. "Many of my clients have included the NRA as a beneficiary and that inspired us to do the same."

Another focus of Shropshire's philanthropy is through a scholarship fund for veterans he created at a local community college, which provides these brave men and women with much-needed assistance in areas the GI Bill and other programs don't cover. "This year we were able to help purchase computers to facilitate distance learning due to COVID issues. My father and a few of my brothers are veterans, including one still serving. I'm proud to be able to help those who honorably served our country."

"My giving is influenced by my patriotism, my love of guns—I own quite a few—and my Christian beliefs," Shropshire said. "The NRA has always done essential work in protecting our rights and liberties at the ballot box, which by extension includes us personally. I hope this continues."