WOMEN AND GUNS: INPUT REQUESTED FROM WOMEN ONLY PLEASE

I'll bite... keep in mind it's late and I am tired and I know this is going to be somewhat rambling....

I am a female who was born and raised in Dundalk, by parents who were born and raised in Dundalk... most of my family all lived within a 5 mile radius and NONE of them were hunters or shooters. At all.

Which is odd, because the outdoors has always been appealing to me, has always driven me.

We did used to camp when I was a kid. I was always the girl for whom sticks were "spears," or "rifles," and I was an amazing hunter, or a noble soldier with my stick guns. I have also always been a person who is obsessed with the idea of providing for myself and living as independently as possible. But I had few resources. No one to teach me to fish or hunt. No one to expand my outdoor knowledge. I was on my own.

When I went to college @ VT, I finally found myself surrounded by men who were outdoorsmen, men who fished and hunted. I got really into hiking and mountain biking and spent a ton of time in the National forest. I met a guy who became my best friend and he was was into shooting @ the range in the national forest, so I started learning to shoot his .22 and was pretty good at it. Summer of my junior year, I got an internship to the MD DNR and my boss taught me to fish. My first fish ever was a 41" muskie! I was hooked even more on the outdoors, and catching fish built a little fire in me... a flame that desired to try hunting...

For the next two years I spent a lot of time fishing, and hiking and shooting. But I still couldn't find someone willing to teach me to hunt. It took me years to finally find a program that was designed to teach women to hunt-- the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program through the Dept of Natural Resources-- and feel confident enough to sign up for it.

In one of my very first posts here, I replied to a man who was bashing this program and saying it is sexist and discriminatory... but to be perfectly frank and honest... one really doesn't know what it means to be discriminated against in a sport unless one is a part of that minority group. A great many men just don't believe that women have a place in hunting and shooting sports, and especially women who are not directly related to men already involved in the sport (wives, GF's, etc), or men who are a part of their club and camp. Many men are incapable of speaking to women without being somewhat condescending or making comments that just really don't make us feel welcome... (not saying ALL... but many)... and you have to have pretty thick skin as a woman in this hobby. As an example, I was at the range yesterday standing with a group of half a dozen men waiting for the range doors to open. It was early... cold... and snowing lightly. The one fellow commented that it'd be nice if they'd provide hot coffee and a danish, and another guy joked that coffee and a pole dancer for entertainment would be even nicer. When they opened the range doors, we walked in and one fellow said "Hey, is there hot coffee?" Range employee says "Nope," and I laughed and said "Guess your dreams of a dancer are dashed as well." He said "Well, if you want the position I've got a pocket full of ones." Because I am a female... I suppose I must be more useful as a pole dancer than a fellow shooter. It placed a divide between us. It creates an isolationist, me vs them mentality. This was followed by another man who said it did him a lot of good to see a woman at the range by herself. So I fully admit that not all men are like this... just trying to give some examples to provide a woman's perspective.

It is what it is... the point being that the existence of groups like BOW that cater to an under-represented minority in the sport are critically important. If it wasn't for the BOW program, I would not be hooked on hunting like I am now. In the five months or so since I really turned my full attention to learning to hunt, I have gotten at least five or six other women interested in hunting and shooting sports. It is so much easier and comfortable for women to learn from other women, when we don't have to worry about men judging us. This was an incredibly common theme @ the BOW goose hunt I attended-- women who wanted to learn a new skill-- hunting-- but had dealt with men being negative or condescending in the past with regards to their goal and just wanted to feel safe and supported in their pursuit of this new skill. As Michelle said in an earlier post... we just want to learn, without having to fear derision from men who think we are interlopers....

All of these experiences make me really want to create a group for women in Maryland who want to hunt and fish and shoot, so that we could gain the benefit that many men seem to have of belonging to a "good old boys" club where getting a fishing charter or a date in a goose blind is more affordable because there's a number of guys willing to pay in, and even if you are new to it, there's always guy friends willing to help you out. I can't afford to hunt by myself and it seems that most men don't want a girl along, so it's up to me to bring other women with me into the fold so that I can have the same benefits that the average male hunter/fisherman does-- a group of "buddies" who are interested in the same things and can benefit from being a part of a group.

I honestly think that there is a lot of truth to the idea that the shooting/gun owning community in general is very conservative and somewhat negative about their beliefs on the place of minorities in the sport. I am a woman... and I'm gay... and quite frequently I have to ignore my own discomfort at the remarks that I hear folks making on this forum, at the local range, or at the local Bass Pro. The number of men engaging in hunting and shooting sports over the past couple of decades has been declining significantly, so if this sport is going to survive the "gun grabbers" then it is imperative for all members of the community to embrace the individual differences that we all have and see the common thread that binds us-- we are all shooters. We are passionate about having guns in our lives, for whatever reason, be it hunting, recreation, self-defense, etc. I saw a post that one guy made today that said he would stand next to anyone who was willing to stand next to (and defend) him, no matter what they looked like or were and I hope that he meant it. More of that, please... and less of the "what do you expect from a state that legalized sodomy" comments. We are ALL gun owners, first and foremost. We are under attack from an enemy that is well funded, well organized and focused. We cannot afford to divide ourselves or alienate people who would be allies. United we stand... divided... well, you know the rest.

As I said... I know I rambled a bit. I will point this thread out to my friend, one of the women I've hooked and dragged into the fold, so she can offer her perspective as well.

Well here is another female voice to chime in.
My grandfather was a huge collector and enthusiast. He had dozens of guns, most hanging loaded on the walls when I grew up. I was taught gun safety as a child and he even took me down to the basement to shoot a few rounds. Both he and my father had military carriers and I grew up on base's. (Airforce in the case of my Father)
My parents live in a armed house. They are not hunters...but we always had a gun around to kill beavers blocking the dam or run off feral dogs from the livestock, and of course the all important shooting of the mistletoe from the treetops at Christmas.
My cousins hunt and we all eat game.
But I had not shot myself in years and years. I inherited some of my grandfather's collection and let it sit in a safe for a long time because I didn't really know what to do with it now that I was living in Baltimore. (from Virginia)
Recently Hyp81 *see above* took me out to the range to shoot her 22. I had such a great time I decided to bring my handgun up here to target shoot at the range.
And yeah...it's a older Lady Smith 38 special. Anybody got a problem with that? It fits my hand well and is going to be a great gun to learn on.
I am not sure I am interested in hunting myself at this point. But there is a certain joy in hitting a target.
I plan to try and find some good classes/instruction in using my gun before I shoot it. But I do worry about finding someone who won't be a dick about the fact that I know nothing about a gun I own. Everyone has to start somewhere.
I am believe that the gun laws in this state are ridiculous and I was quick to send my letters and make my calls about these upcoming gun right battles. I will fight for my rights to be armed with every bit of passion.

Uncle Duke said:

I couldn't agree more with your conclusion. Women especially I would think would be all over tools that can provide for both recreation and, if necessary God forbid, for their own personal defense. What I am attempting to better understand is what factors are defining and leading you toward the conclusion you drew.

I know where you are. My question is how are you getting there? Because there's another reality at play here as well. What I do know with certainty is that a lot of women, for reasons I want to try to better get my arms around, aren't reaching your conclusion. If fact, the conclusion they draw is quite oftentimes the polar opposite. Men too, but in tendency terms, women more so oftentimes I believe. I don't know this for sure, but my best guess is that you ladies hold at least a much better defined key to the clarity of those answers than we guys do or ever will. Again, I'm not a woman. Never have been. Never will be. Women have vastly different realities than men do in some ways. Just a fact.

If I were to be restricted to boiling my post down to one thought with regard to a huge collective 2A demographic of voting women, but a demographic consisting of clearly individual component parts? It would be this. I'm looking for common themes. I'm looking for common denominators. I'm looking for traits and tendencies that may arguably be either unique, or that would tend to be more pervasive in woman as a group. Many have been communicated already. I'm seeing consistencies in sometimes very different responses. I'm seeing what has the makings of generalized themes. This exercise will never be perfect. No two women are exactly alike, no more than men are. And that's a good thing. We'd live in a pretty damned miserably boring world otherwise. But what I'm trying to suggest here is that I can't effectively fight what I'm oftentimes not sure I can clearly and effectively see. Much of this issue isn't greatly different from many others of similar complexity. It's about awareness. I'm looking to enhance my own awareness, the awareness of the men on this forum, and the awareness of the women on this forum as well. Because there's another side of this same coin ladies. You aren't men either. Sometimes, what we think we say to each other, and what we think we hear from each other, are 2 very different things. And "that dog don't hunt" because we all need to be pulling on the same end of the 2A rope.

Elaborate on the factors that steered you toward your conclusion if you get a chance. I think all on this forum benefit greatly from your thoughts. I know I have received some excellent perspective from the thoughts of the other ladies here. And WELCOME Jayel! I'm glad you registered! That makes 3 new ladies on the forum. Bring your friends too, because we need all of the
pro-2A boots on the ground that we can get in this state!

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To me it's about freedom, women fought hard for every right we have now and I see this as a right that some women don't equate do be as important to them as it should be. As a woman, whether or not I agree with abortion, I believe it's my right to decide what to do with my body, just like I would support a man's right to decide what to do with his body, and believe that the federal government should not have a say in that.
I believe that this should be explained like that, if you give up say on one aspect of your personal freedom, than before you realize it, whether you can pierce your ears, grow a mustache, etc. is no longer a personal freedom.
I think that for some women the gun issue is not as important to them because of the stereotype that men are the hunters and women are the homemakers that was taught to them as they were growing up, but yet the choice of who can and can't tell them what is alright for their bodies is important. To me it is all the same, the freedom of choice, the freedom to own a gun, the freedom to decide what is right for me, and I just believe that if you give up one right, then whats to stop them from coming after the rest.

Hyp81, I am interested in your ladies hunting/fishing thing, but don't forget trapping. I also wish I had more women hunters who would bring me stuff to have mounted. I think in some cases I don't get work in due to jealous wives, and some of these hunters maybe think I am gay as well, and all that conservative churchy stuff gets in their minds. I'm not gay, I have aspergers, which seems to have alot of gender bender stuff going on, plus rejection is "normal". The only group that accepts me best are gun guys- go figure. I love hunting and trapping, but am limited to how far I can travel to anything. Nothing urban period. More than 30 mins 1 way= hard or not at all. I love being alone and with nature.

I think a lot of women are simply scared of guns. My father is a gun collector and in his younger days was a hunter. He didn't have any boys so I was picked to help clean his guns with him and learn how to shoot. He taught me the value and safety of owning firearms. I think a lot of women just don't get the chance to be around guns. Therefore they see guns portrayed as evil and scary so they must be.

With all the talk of "it's for the kids" it's hard to get women, with a natural instinct to protect their children, to understand reason. They are already scared of these "weapons of mass destruction" and all they know is it kills people and they have to stop it. I invite people to the range all the time but I am met with much resistance. They usually tell me no because they just don't like guns. So trying to get more women to see guns in a favorable light is a very large uphill battle. All I try to do is educate them and hope they listen.

I was mostly raised by my father and my brother, so the mans world is sometimes more comfortable to me than the woman's. A little background to my thought. When I met my husband every Sunday we would go to his paternal grandmothers house for Sunday dinner which consisted of a very large family. When my husband would go outside to sit with the men I felt uncomfortable left alone in the house with a bunch of women I did not know that well and would rather hang around and listen to the men.
My father taught me how to shoot at a very young age but it was not something steady, I did not grow up shooting we moved around a lot and my father worked a lot of hours. I did not shoot again til I met my husband and we bought our first gun but we still did not shoot it much. Only in the past few years have we both gotten into it more and started a nice collection but still have a hard time making it to a range. The closest one is Delmarva sporting clays and its always busy, I don't like being around a large group of people I don't know that well and being a woman at a shooting range draws more attention than I want, so I feel uncomfortable. I would rather if we could afford to buy our own land and have our own range.
As far as gun shops the local shops around here Winks, Arthurs shooter suppy and Midcounty Mike all make me feel welcome they are all very nice people and treat me great. I have heard other women complain about how they are made to feel in gun shops and thankfully I have not had to deal with those places.
As far as the forum goes like I said I was raised in a mans world and a lot of the topics don't really bother me but looking at it from another woman's perspective I can see how they would be turned off by a lot of the topics esp., the basically soft porn that many men feel they most post to make themselves seem more manly.

From my girlfriend

"My experience with guns is fairly limited but has both ups and downs. On one hand I'm an ICU nurse in the good ol city of Baltimore where GSW patients are a dime a dozen- I see first hand the damage that a gun can do from gang shootings and the long term recovery process. I was also a Virginia Tech Hokie- I still remember the aftermath from the shooting and frantically calling my friends up from Maryland to see who was and who was not in the hospital.

On the other hand I've had a few turns shooting beer cans with revolvers in Blacksburg which was very enjoyable and my boyfriend is one of the few guys I dated with the cahones to take me to a shooting range when I asked him to. I've fired a couple Glocks, a .22 Ruger, and his rifle (I like the handguns better) and I'm now weighing the idea of purchasing a handgun myself. Interestingly enough my first reason for buying a handgun had nothing to do with personal protection. As I live more and more in the city the idea that I could use a weapon to defend myself does come into play. But I also have an excellent idea of the aftermath that comes out of a gun barrel pointed at your leg, head, belly, etc. and what that entails. I take it seriously.

I'd say one of the biggest things guys could do to bring women into the shooting world is not only provide the facts and information (while treating us like the rational individuals that we are) but understand that not everyone with a pair of breasts is looking for a gun for protection. If we are? That's great. If not, you can still treat us the same. That and the idea that while this is a very big issue and there are passionate people on both sides of the discussion, one of the biggest things that put me off from O'Malley's weapons bill was understanding the stupidity of banning foregrips, suppression devices, and things that make a gun safer. Oh and the ease it takes to empty a magazine of 10 rounds and reload instead of shooting through 30 all at once Emotions run high in this but you're going to catch more people if we understand why you feel a certain way instead of angry yelling and the occasional Facebook post. Cheers!"

I am glad to hear someone else may be interested in a "MDS Ladies" hunting trip. I will keep that in mind when hunting season rolls around next year.

I wonder if it would be possible to use the "social groups" function on the forum to create a group for MDS women?

My first trip to gun shop (near Andrews..)I was asked to be helped,wanted something that I could get used too,seen Kraigs,Enfields and spotted a Mosin-Nasant M44 for 125 dollars..was told it was too much power and they had smaller .30 cal M1's..but,I wanted something to master and was not wanting to be swayed..went to Mertle Grove with four boxes of 7.65x54..I might have had a black and blue left shoulder,but no way I would let something beat me.Recoil is hard but..I love shooting it.

I'm going to apologize up front for the long post. Since you asked the question, I wanted to give a good answer (or at least try to).

I was raised in a rural area where guns were just part of life (hunting, target shooting, home protection) and every home had some sort of firearm We were allowed to shoot targets and taught to respect firearms (there wasn't a gun safe in our house, but I never even thought of touching the guns). Note: my husband also grew up in a rural area and his dad is a sportsman and even owned a gun club. I was also active duty U.S. Army (am still active duty public health service) and had limited firearms training due to being in the med corps.

That all said, we didn't own any firearms because we didn't see an immediate "need" and we have young children. I guess my perspective at the time (and probably that of a lot of mothers) was that the "risk" of having a firearm in a house with kids was greater than the "benefit" of having them in the house. I could see this being even more true for women who didn't grow up in a place were guns were normal and useful. Unfortunately, MD is a place where guns are seen as abnormal or unnecessary by many.

The turning point for us was that our house was robbed and vandalized (thousands and thousands of dollars in damage). Even though we knew who did it (long story), the police were unable to do anything other than take a report. Due to the specifics of the situation, we were concerned that they would return while we were home and that when they did they would be armed (due to the profession of one of the people involved). I can't even tell you how violated and angry we felt. We decided that we needed to enhance the security situation in our home. In addition to getting a good security system, my husband bought a shot gun. The trip to the first gun store was really interesting because I was the only woman there. I could see how the general vibe would be intimidating to a lot of women. It didn't bother me because I had been in the Army and even in the medical side of the house there is plenty of testosterone and chauvanism.

As we developed the home security plan, I had to ask myself some very hard questions. If the absolute worst thing imaginable happened and an armed intruder killed my husband, would I be willing to allow myself and my children to be victimized and/or killed by a crazed criminal. The fact that I'm posting here, gives you the answer to that question. I think if you could tap into the "mamma bear" instinct more women would be willing to consider a firearm as a reasonable optiion. However, that requires one to think hard about some pretty unpleasant scenarios and a willingness to pursue appropriate training and practice.

I decided to buy a handgun. One of the previous posters story about someone in a gun shop trying to steer them to a revolver because a semi-automatic handgun was "too much" also happened to me. It was irritating because I had done research and knew what I wanted. Fortunately, we've found several other good FFLs.

The next phase was to join a range (where everyone has been great) to get proficient with both the handgun (9 mm) and the shotgun. We also took a basic handgun course-shout out to the guys at Engage-they were awesome! Post-class, my husband bought his own handgun. I'm starting to think guns are like potato chips (you can't just have one). We have since purchased some other items and are still looking for some specific things.

We started shooting regularly and purchased a .22 so that we could take the kids to the range. We've gone to great lengths to teach our kids safe and responsible behavior where guns are concerned (including the NSSF instructional videos that are available for free) and the guns et al are secured (safe and lock boxes). So, now that it has become a family activity we have sort of come full circle. While the genesis was a traumatic event, the rest has come from education, practice, experience (as other posters have commented).

The other thing that I have to say is that the folks in this community (in general) have been some of the nicest, most welcoming people we've met here on the East Coast. Much more like the good, solid valued, friendly people my husband and I grew up with. It is so annoying to hear us all referred to as "nuts" or extreme because the folks I've met are anything but. Many of the lawmakers in Annapolis are the ones with extreme or nutty views (i.e. Frosh) in my opinion.

It is very important to talk to people who believe what they hear in the news and from the elected officials pushing gun control to show them that gun owners are normal, nice people. It is easier to believe sterotypes when you don't personally know someone in that group. I've been openly talking to the people I know about the violation of our rights that is currently happening and all of the legal uses of guns by law-abiding citizens that will be compromised. A lot of these people are surprised because I don't fit their image of a gun owner and in the med field there seem to be a lot of inherently anti-gun people (possibly because they see guns as hurting people rather than helping them). They often don't agree with what I have to say, but the proposed laws are infringing on my ability (and right) to protect my own children (an opportunity that the parents in the Sandy Hook tragedy unfortunately did not have) and that is worth speaking up for.

Any number of common themes in the thoughts of these individuals, and a few different ones as well. There have been over 1200 readers of this post as I write this. Increased understanding and awareness, and attempting in a purposeful way to be a catalyst to put these themes and these thoughts in front of as many viewers as possible, was the original intention of my post. It is my hope that our combined efforts will assist in identifying and implementing actionable steps to enhance our Second Amendment cause.

That the firearms realm is male dominated is beyond dispute. It is also beyond dispute that women are dominating the voting booths in this country. I strongly believe that we'd better be making attempts to include and involve women. Numbers don't lie folks. To be unaware of the thoughts and issues and concerns inherent to this vast demographic is both a common occurance and a huge mistake in this man's opinion. We have enough concerns with folks who wish to extend the reach of their views to include the destruction of our 2A rights. They are otherwise oftentimes very intelligent people. They are extremely well funded and they are oftentimes extremely well organized. The destruction of the Second Amendment rights of Marylanders and of Americans also in this man's opinion, isn't an option.

From this man to others, please be mindful that words and actions expressed or implied at a gun range, in a gun shop or in any forum of social interaction that may tend to diminish or distance potential 2A support? That flat out isn't going to help any of us. Step up men. it's about leadership. Be aware of what these folks have to say. Then take your wife, your girlfriend, your daughter, or your niece to the range if they indicate a desire to go. Just as importantly, be aware that their reply (and by extention their 2A future involvement) will oftentimes be predicated upon whether or not they were asked, the willingness they perceive from us in the extension of the invitation, and the welcome and willingness to help that we extend. It is also beyond dispute that we need all of the help we can get.

One lady who posted yesterday made mention of something that hadn't occured to me for a long while. She indicated working as a trauma nurse in the intensive care unit of a city hospital. She's clearly seen gunshot trauma first hand. She also indicated that she may be considering the purchase of a handgun, and not necessarily (though perhaps as a possibliity going forward) to include self defense. This lady seems to allude to an internal debate that she desires to sort out for herself, and presumably without "you should think about it this way" or "you should buy a gun for self defense" input from what I presume to be typically male others. By way of contrast, other posters have indicated that their reality was quite the opposite.....that their male feedback was that it somehow isn't feminine for a woman to have any business with firearms in their lives. Folks, one thing is clear to me. These sorts of thoughts are REAL to the people in which they occur. Both in perception terms, and in factual terms. We need to be aware of them, we need to recognize them, we need to better understand them, and we need to react to them in ways that we can work through. The same nurse indicates her awareness of these issues as emotionally charged isssues, and that yelling and screaming doesn't help. She's right about that, and we've heard that from others as well.
Women who feel intimidated or otherwise discouraged or dismissed oftentimes don't wind up as allies. Think about it.

The only published work that I've personally seen relating to self defense with firearms that touched upon what I am interpreting (hopefully correctly) as this woman's thoughts and concerns? There was a book written (over 30 years ago now) if my memory serves. The author of this book was a man by the name of Massad Ayoob. The book was entitled "In the Gravest Extreme", and it dealt with may aspects of self defense generally, and self defense with firearms more specifically. Ayoob (wisely I believe)didn't attempt to answer the question of whether one should or should not use a firearm in defensive situations. He did however absolutely recognize the existance of that particular question for many good and decent people, and he emphatically emphasized that it be resolved by each individual prior to purchasing a firearm for defensive purposes. To my knowledge, he's the only author before or since that I am personally aware of who spent any real time on this area of concern. Call it introspection, call it soul searching, call it what you will when one examines their own realities, and how those realities relate to others. The question of whether or not one could employ a firearm against another person is a question that everyone considering the purchase of a firearm for defensive purposes needs to answer for themselves. Ayoob doesn't attempt to answer that question for anyone. It certainly isn't a question to be dismissed, as the ramifications of the defensive deployment of firearms are both powerful and many. "Life altering event" doesn't begin to describe those ramifications. What Ayoob does suggest is that the "right answer' is the answer you personally sleep with best at night. And he also suggests quite adamently that that answer be determined individually, and long before a situation ever presents itself where having attained one's own personal answer to that question becomes critical. The risk otherwise is a very valid point. Hesitation can get you killed. It can also absolutely result in turning a firearm over to another who, for lack of better words, is a whole lot less conscience stricken. For me personally, I made my peace with this concern a long time ago. I don't assault others. I will expect the same in return. And should that not occur, I am resolved with taking whatever means necessary to defend my family and myself. I absolutely don't relish that thought. But for me, that's the determination I've made.

For those interested, and assuming it's still available in print or over the web, be aware that Ayoob's work is obviously extremely dated today. It was written well before the explosion in popularity of today's semi autos for example. It touches upon laws that have in many instances changed, and many laws have changed considerably. Still, a number of the concepts that this author touched upon back then are still very much valid today. Concepts like surroundings awareness and situation awareness and avoidance, identifying and hardening one's own defensive perimeters generally outside of the realm of firearms, etc. Firearms are but one component of a defensive strategy, and are ideally a very last defensive resort. Understand that I am far from expert in this area, but there's still value in this book for anyone who may be interested in my own personal opinion.

I wish I could comment individually to everyone who posted a reply to my original questions. For me to do so isn't realistic, and would probably lead to unemployment, or neglecting other responsibilities and concerns. But I do wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to each of those who took the time to comment. Our Second Amendment rights have many enemies. A helluva lot of people have died that we can maintain our rights in the greatest country on earth. My hope is that we continue within the 2A family to find ways to be our own best friends with this cause of our own personal and collective liberties in mind.

I am just seeing this post so sorry for the late reply.

I agree with people who said education is one of the keys. De-mystifying guns is important and making all people feel confident to handle, take apart, clean and obviously shoot a firearm is really helpful for most of the women I have seen who are new to firearms.

Its a predominately male sport/ interest and sometimes the approach to teaching and "talking about" firearms is very 'male' .... Or it's very female... For instance pink guns.
Some women don't like pink. Some like steel and rosewood

I do think it is helpful for some women to have other women teaching them.
I also feel that if more women speak up about their interest in firearms and shooting sports that will help to make it more acceptable.
Some women are concerned about safety for their children. Part of taking away that fear is education and the demystifying through education.
Many many times I have received much more positive feedback after telling people I own guns, I am an NRA certified instructor and I love shooting sports.
I think being open and honest and welcoming to all types of people and taking an approach that is tailored to the person will help bring in more women and make them more accepting.

Hi. I am new to this group. My son, Oriolesfan93p, introduced me to it. I was raised around guns and was always taught to respect them, but not had any in my own home before. A couple of years ago, my cousin that I had grown up with & who has been in law enforcement for many years was wanting to sell off some of his guns that he wasn't using and I went with him and my son to the range. I don't know if he knew that I was interested in buying one or just wanting to try one. Anyway, I bought the Grendel P12 .380 and my son bought the Colt .45 1911. We went to the range a few times together and I went to visit my older son and did some shooting on his property and ended up buying his wife's Bersa Thunder .380.

I joined a group called "She Can Shoot: Women Taking Aim" out of Fredericksburg. They offered the NRA Basic Pistol Training course and I took it. It made me enjoy shooting even more!

I bought my younger son a Mosin Nagant rifle for Christmas. We went to Myrtle Grove to try it out after we cleaned it up. I tried it and at the next gun show I bought myself an M44 (Mosin Nagant Carbine) I found that I had some trouble with the length of my son's Mosin and think that the shorter length will suit me much better. Waiting for warmer weather so that I can shoot it. Also waiting on my "not disapproved" for my new Ruger SR9C. Been waiting for 5 weeks now.

Thanks for letting us have our say. I agree with many of the postings that women shooters just aren't taken all that seriously. A well informed, trained, serious woman with a pistol, rifle or shotgun can be just as lethal as a man. Just wish we lived In a state that would allow us to carry concealed weapons.

Maybe the MDshooters' Administrators will consider creating a forum just for women.

Domino said:

Thanks for letting us have our say. I agree with many of the postings that women shooters just aren't taken all that seriously. A well informed, trained, serious woman with a pistol, rifle or shotgun can be just as lethal as a man. Just wish we lived In a state that would allow us to carry concealed weapons.

Maybe the MDshooters' Administrators will consider creating a forum just for women.

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GRANNYT said:

Hi. I am new to this group. My son, Oriolesfan93p, introduced me to it. I was raised around guns and was always taught to respect them, but not had any in my own home before. A couple of years ago, my cousin that I had grown up with & who has been in law enforcement for many years was wanting to sell off some of his guns that he wasn't using and I went with him and my son to the range. I don't know if he knew that I was interested in buying one or just wanting to try one. Anyway, I bought the Grendel P12 .380 and my son bought the Colt .45 1911. We went to the range a few times together and I went to visit my older son and did some shooting on his property and ended up buying his wife's Bersa Thunder .380.

I joined a group called "She Can Shoot: Women Taking Aim" out of Fredericksburg. They offered the NRA Basic Pistol Training course and I took it. It made me enjoy shooting even more!

I bought my younger son a Mosin Nagant rifle for Christmas. We went to Myrtle Grove to try it out after we cleaned it up. I tried it and at the next gun show I bought myself an M44 (Mosin Nagant Carbine) I found that I had some trouble with the length of my son's Mosin and think that the shorter length will suit me much better. Waiting for warmer weather so that I can shoot it. Also waiting on my "not disapproved" for my new Ruger SR9C. Been waiting for 5 weeks now.

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WELCOME ladies! Haven't visited my old post for awhile, but it is great to see more and more 2A women posting on MDS and participating in the shooting disciplines! I hope you'll enjoy both as much as I do!

Domino said:

Maybe the MDshooters' Administrators will consider creating a forum just for women.

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I know that I'm several months late to this party, but I'm here anyway. I found this thread from a search because I was thinking to myself "Gee, are there any women around here?"

So what did you do with all the information presented here? There certainly seems like enough to start a campaign of some sort :-)

I really agree with most of what the other women here have said!
(By the way, nice to know there are so many of us around!)
For me, the two things that held me back from guns were
1. lack of information and misinformation (the news/media is a big culprit of making guns to be the bad guy)
2. once I started being interested, the actual hunting seemed to take over the sport and overshadow recreational, competitive, and defense shooting.

I have no desire to ever shoot an animal, and have no desire to sit in a tree stand in the cold for hours while spiders crawl on me and I have to be quiet in order to shoot bambi. (lol I know I'm being incredibly stereotypical here, and probably a detriment to feminists everywhere, but I don't like the idea of hunting. I'm okay with eating bambi, just not shooting him.)

But, once I found out about target shooting, and took a women's gun class - I am IN. I'm actually currently trying to train for competitions. Specifically because competitions are the closest I'll ever come to practicing for a defense situation, with the adrenaline and everything.

Also, the sexism is prevalent still. And it's probably hard to see as a man, because a lot of it is "friendly" sexism. That's when you go to a gun shop and the man behind the counter calls you "honey" and says things like "oh, well a .45 might be a lot for you, how about this .22?" or instead of teaching you to clear your own jams and malfunctions, just takes the gun and does it for you out of an inherent belief that you can't do it for your self.
(Or, when you're an engineer at NASA, and someone asks if you're sending out the minutes from the meeting because they assume you're a secretary )

So, I don't know. I think getting women into protecting their second amendment right is going to take a grassroots, word of mouth kind of movement because the media will never change. I'm actually trying to convince my sorority to take a women's gun class. It's information we all need!

Thrilled to have your input.

I really look forward to the distaff perspective, but we seem--as a group--to drive that away. It's upsetting, but I get the "Tim Taylor" aspect.

Thanks for standing up, and I truly hope more women get involved (I am slowly getting my wife to post more, as topics present themselves).

Wow. I read my old post and found it to be well written LOL. I must have been very lucid when I wrote it, or it was before my bout of ADD got bad. I've been thinking about writing a book lately about my experiences in the gun world and about the fallacies of the anti gun side. The editorial in today's Sun is an easy one to pick apart LOL. However, I still have my ADD issues...

I showed my wife this thread and she told me to communicate the following. Her main motivation for learning was her "grizzly momma" feelings once we had kids and were living in the city. She grew up in a very gun phobic culture. The Women on Target program was a great introduction so thanks to Patty West et. al.