A vacancy committee for House District 14 in El Paso County wasted no time in finding a replacement for former House Minority Leader Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs.

The 54-member GOP vacancy committee, on Monday, selected gun store owner and firearms instructor Ava Flanell as the next representative from the north Colorado Springs district.

The district straddles the east side of I-25 north of the Air Force Academy and west of I-25 south of the Academy.

Three candidates vied for the HD14 seat: Flanell, Joe Woyte and Andrew Dalby.

On the first ballot, Flanell won 26 votes to 20 for Woyte and eight for Dalby. Flanell took the win on the second ballot with 28 votes.

In a statement Tuesday, House Minority Leader Rep. Jarvis Caldwell of Monument congratulated Flanell.

“Ava is a small business owner, firearms instructor, and grassroots leader who has been a strong voice for protecting our Second Amendment rights. She will work tirelessly for the families of El Paso County and be a dedicated partner in our caucus,” he said.

Flanell is the founder of Elite Firearms & Training in East Colorado Springs. 

On her website, Flannell said that she was not a lifelong gun enthusiast, nor does she have a background in the military or law enforcement.

Her parents owned a local gun store and shooting range, and as a teen, she would occasionally work at the store when she needed shopping money.

After high school, Flanell headed to New York City and Fordham University, where she earned degrees in English and Communications. 

Her first job after college was in sales for the New York Yankees, and after a year, she moved into the legal and finance department. She stayed in New York for eight years.

In June 2012, back home in Colorado Springs for a visit, she was asked to participate in a demonstration of how to shoot in a video for her mom. “I remember my mom loading the firearm for me, because I couldn’t manage to load the magazine or rack the slide,” she said.

She added she was more excited to wear pink earmuffs than to shoot.

She fired a 9mm for the first time, and it hit the target dead center. So did the shots after that.

“It was exciting, empowering, and oddly enough meditative,” said the cameraman, who was shocked that it was her first time shooting.

Her mom died in an unrelated accident just days later, and Flanell moved back to Colorado to help with the family business.

Eventually, she decided to follow in her mom’s footsteps and become a firearms instructor. A year later, she was certified by the National Rifle Association in several areas.

She created Elite Firearms in May 2013 and, in June 2014, added training to the business name. “As a very feminine woman, I hope to show women they can still be girly but capable of protecting themselves,” she said on her website. “This industry does not have to be male dominant, and I plan to continue to break the many stereotypes most associate with firearms.”

Flanell has testified in opposition to firearms legislation at the state Capitol, most recently Senate Bill 25-003, the assault weapons ban that was watered down to requiring training from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Flanell did not return a call for comment. She has not yet filed to run for the seat in 2026.

Flanell becomes the 14th current member of the House and the 24th lawmaker overall to have gained their first seat in the legislature through the vacancy process.

As first reported by Colorado Politics, Pugliese resigned on Sept. 14, a resignation that went into effect on Sept. 15. She cited a “toxic” environment in the House, which escalated during the August special session in a war of words with House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, tied to a resolution condemning the actions of former Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud. 

Pugliese was rumored to be interested in running for either Attorney General or Secretary of State in 2026, and that might have prompted interest in the HD 14 seat.

Caldwell, who has taken the top GOP seat in the House, thanked Pugliese for her dedication.