About GOA
Gun Owners of America (GOA) was founded in 1976 by the late California State Senator H.L. (Bill) Richardson. The GOA Board of Directors brings over 100 years of combined knowledge and experience on guns, legislation, and politics. GOA’s Board is not satisfied with the “status quo.” Americans have lost some of our precious gun rights and we want them back! This is why GOA is considered the “no compromise” gun lobby.
From state legislatures and city councils to the United States Congress and the White House, GOA represents the views of more than two million gun owners whenever their rights are threatened.
South Carolina State Director, Colonel Val W. Finnell, USAF Ret.
Dr. Val Finnell, South Carolina Director
Col. (Dr.) Finnell resides in Columbia, South Carolina near the State Capitol Complex.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Washington and Jefferson College in 1990, a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in 1994, and a Master of Public Health (Health Services Administration) in 2008. Dr. Finnell completed a residency in Anatomic/Clinical Pathology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and a second residency in Preventive Medicine/Public Health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
He retired in July of 2016 from the United States Air Force in the rank of colonel.
Dr. Finnell is a staunch advocate for the right to keep and bear arms for over 20+ years. He was the first president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the Second Amendment.
Under his leadership in Pennsylvania, the GOA-backed Constitutional Carry bill made it to Governor Wolf’s desk in November of 2021.
He is a USCCA firearms instructor and a graduate of the Sonoran Desert Institute’s Handgun Specialist program.
Suk Finnell, Deputy SC Director
South Carolina Deputy State Director, Suk Finnell
Suk Finnell is the South Carolina Deputy Director for GOA. She is also the newly appointed Chair of Gun Owners of America’s Empowered 2A women’s coalition, bringing with her a powerful voice for liberty, self-defense, and the rights of women to protect themselves and their families.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Suk immigrated to the United States in 2000 after witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of gun control abroad. Motivated by a desire to exercise and preserve the freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, she has become a fierce advocate for the Second Amendment and an unwavering opponent of any effort to strip Americans of their right to keep and bear arms.
Suk is a certified firearms instructor through the USCCA and holds a 6th degree black belt in American Kenpo, demonstrating a lifelong dedication to self-defense and personal empowerment. Her unique background and experience have made her a respected leader in the gun rights community and a role model for women across the country.
As Chair of Empowered 2A, Suk is passionate about mobilizing women to become defenders of liberty in their homes and communities. She believes that every woman has the right—and the responsibility—to be her own first line of defense.