Girls With Guns

Recently CNN published an article, Girls With Guns at:  http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-857733.

It was an interesting spin that briefly introduced the positive effects on what transpires when a girl is introduced to firearms.  In addition, the article proposed that we also begin educating young girls on firearms training in school.

I offered a response:

I think that this article only highlights the endless possibilities of what can happen if a girl is introduced to firearms training.  As the owner of a national SHE CAN SHOOT, LLC, I have seen young women gain the strength, confidence, and empowerment to fight any adversity just because she discovered that as a female, she achieved this hidden talent. This is such an amazing experience and accomplishment for a young girl because the sport and opportunity is usually only introduced to boys.

I have witnessed such accomplished confidence fight eating disorders, bullying, self-esteem issues, and a new drive for achievement.

In addition to being the CEO of SHE CAN SHOOT, LLC, I am also a consultant for various defense contractors. My years of government training and experience have placed me in regions of Africa and Afghanistan. During these periods, I witness many indigenous men within villages deployed to serve as security.  The harsh reality is that these villages leave behind women and children who are vulnerable and unable to protect themselves. 

Training these young women to physically protect their villages and families is much like your comparison of how women protected their homes while the west was settled.  Not only does this empower the community against such threats, it promotes social change and empowerment among women in these countries where their voice is largely ignored.

It goes beyond "teaching her how to fight." Teaching a girl the responsibilities of firearms training and the importance of recognizing what would be considered an actual physical threat to her and her family needs to be involved.  We have witnessed this in a recent Oklahoma incident where a 12 year old female is at home alone.  A home invasion occurs and the young woman is forced to grab the only known weapon that she has been trained with, a shotgun, in order to fight against the threat that had followed her throughout the house.  The end result was that this young woman was unharmed.

As indicated above in your article, "You are not only educating her, but you are helping her realize that she has the rights and that she is responsible for protecting her family."

Tina Wilson-Cohen

SHE CAN SHOOT, LLC (CEO & Founder)

What are your thoughts and suggestions?

Firearms Training Over An Alarm System

Recently, I was contacted by one of our SHE CAN SHOOT members who wanted me to share her story as to why she selected firearms training over having an alarm system.  Out of respect for her identity and to honor her request, I will call her PZ.

For you ladies out there who are on the fence about taking firearms training, please read her experience:

Having found myself prematurely retired, I had begun to enjoy the bliss of sleeping without an alarm clock and catching up on TV series that I missed from 2001 - 2011 because of erratic work hours.  All was well until several police cars showed up at a neighbor's home 2 doors away last spring.  Somewhere between 10 - 11 AM, their back deck door was kicked in and jewels were stolen, many from previous family generations.  Because of the hour of the break in and the specific items stolen, I wasn't too worried and thought family friends or relatives might have been involved.

Several months later, a break-in and entering was attempted about 7 houses from me in my small safe rural Montgomery County community.  This occurred in a cul-de- sac, the burglar seemed to be on foot, and tried to commit his crime around 9 in the morning.  My husband saw him walking down our street as he left for work.  He wondered about this unfamiliar person walking toward a dead end in our neighborhood but he never called me about it and would never think to call the police.

Although there were two cars in the driveway and the residents were home, the burglar tried to break into the back door and when the alarm went off, it scared him away.  The next day had several security company trucks installing home security systems in my neighborhood.  We already had a system.  I told a neighbor that my security system is a great idea when we're gone but both break-in's this year were done in the morning hours when I'm home.  It didn't take much thought to realize a gun would make me feel more protected. 

I did some quick research on guns and women on the Internet and decided I needed a 9mm.  My friend and I went off to the gun shop where I made my purchase.  The Internet guided me to Gilbert's Shooting Range for lessons.  While there, they told me they had instructors but that a woman, Tina, had started up a group, SHE CAN SHOOT, for women and would be offering lessons in various parts of the metro area.  

I contacted Tina and we chose to meet at Gilbert's. My lesson included such topics as  revolvers, pistols, ammunition and safety factors.  Rather than starting with my gun, Tina had a bag full of guns and she suggested several that I should start off with.  She selected a non-threatening target (circles instead of a grizzly mean man or a ghoul), picked the ammunition, and lent me ear muffs for protection and safety  glasses.

We entered the lane we were assigned and Tina organized the target, ammo and the gun for my first shot.  I was a little scared and asked her to shoot the gun first and she did.  Next, I took the gun.  As I looked around, no one was paying attention to me nor pointing and saying "look at that retired woman learning to shoot."  I felt very comfortable.  When I took the gun into my hands, I knew that this was for me!  It felt so natural.  I tried several guns, all .22 caliber, and the recoil I expected didn't exist.  This was a lot of fun. 

I decided to try Tina's .9mm before trying mine and was surprised to find that the recoil was pretty intense and that I couldn't rack the slide.  Learning to shoot comes with its own vocabulary, by the way.  In other words, I couldn't move the slide back which is essential.  I lacked the strength in hands and arms.

So I was stuck with a gun I couldn't use.  I wish I had known about SHE CAN SHOOT before I bought it.  Tina suggested I try to exchange it for a .22 caliber but the paperwork is intense because of reassigning serial numbers, etc.  Plus, it could no longer be sold as new so I did not get all my money back.  I did buy a Ruger SR22 that I am passionate about.  It's a great gun and I try to practice 2 - 3 times per week.  I am totally confident with it and feel that if need be, I would be able to shoot an intruder in my home.  Tina and others have told me don't let anyone tell you that you can't cause damage with a .22.  

I feel empowered as the result of my training and practice. SHE CAN SHOOT offers many opportunities for women to get together for various types of instruction, to shoot at ranges and for other related social events.  It adds a level of comradery knowing that women of all ages and walks of life are sharing a sense of empowerment.  As for me, I just may be ready to move on to a .9mm.

~PZ

SHE CAN SHOOT Helps Women Discover Their Strengths and Hidden Talents!

It is in each one of us, whether we have discovered it or not, every woman has a talent.  SHE CAN SHOOT uses firearms training and self-defense as a catalyst to help women become empowered and build confidence.  It is on this journey that each woman hopefully discovers or validates her strengths and talents.

Check out our recent SHE CAN SHOOT female student's testimony.  She discovered her hidden talent:

What kind of women shoot guns? Here is my story. I am a 62 year old grandma, a retired teacher who is now an artist, a photographer and golfer. I signed up for Tina Wilson’s Firearm Instruction class to overcome my fear of guns, to learn gun safety, and to learn how to protect myself.
When my husband took an NRA class, I was very upset to see a gun in the house and was admittedly afraid of the thing. It was my husband who found “shecan shoot.com” on the internet and encouraged me to sign up for Tina’s class. I was not thrilled with the idea but felt that I needed to overcome my fear, to educate myself, and to learn how to defend myself. That was it. Period. Or so I thought.
After Tina’s instruction, the students went to the shooting range to practice what we had learned. Just the reverberations I heard from the shooting range gave me the chills (chills of intimidation, not of excitement). Tina helped me get set up in my lane. I aimed and slowly pulled the trigger. When my session ended, I flipped the switch to return my practice target. Well, what do you know. I completely shredded the “X” right out of the bulls eye. I guess I am a natural. Anyways, that is what Tina said.
When I got home I showed my husband my target practice sheet. He was in awe and could not believe it. He said, “ If there is ever a problem, I am handing you the gun”. I felt very proud of myself. But what is more important is that I have educated myself on the use of firearms and feel confident in my ability to protect myself. We are heading to the gun shop to purchase my first firearm this weekend.
So, what kind of women shoot guns? Smart, confident and empowered women. See you at the range.

Wendy Schobert

At SHE CAN SHOOT, our lessons are simple, and the results are remarkable!  Discover your hidden talent!

What Am I Doing Wrong?

In the past couple of years, women have been crossing off "firearms training" from their bucket list.  Ladies, the firearms industry has taken notice. There are guns out there that look like they were dunked in a Pepto-Bismol bottle and forgotten for centuries. What used to appeal to young girls, "Hello Kitty," has now caught mom's eye as the logo can be seen plastered on AR-15's.  Hearing protection and safety goggles have even caught the pink and purple fever.  But with all of this fashionable hype, why do some women fail to have a love affair with their firearm?  After all, the majority of women have been told that "this is THE gun for them," or some females have had a family member purchase a firearm for them as a present.

Once we have this new item, the next step is taking our "friend" to the range.  There is nothing as embarrassing than if we can't pull the trigger, or when we do, the entire front end of the firearm drops.  As a result, the target boldly indicates that the most popular shots she is capable of firing are to the groin area.  This is multiplied a dozen more times, "What am I doing wrong?"

So maybe your new purchase hasn't been taken out of the box until you arrive to the range.  As you place your hands around the grip of of the firearm, this area is so large that there is no way that a finger can reach the trigger without canting your hand sideways.  The slide on the semi-automatic doesn't appear to move no matter how hard you attempt to lock it back. "What am I doing wrong?"

All of your friends comment how they enjoy shooting.  Your like-minded girlfriends want to show off their guns.  Are you serious? Why am I not having such a good time? Well, your hand hurts, you feel like a weakling, and you think that you aren't capable of being a proficient shooter. "What am I doing wrong?"

Sadly, many women experiencing these symptoms don't understand that there is a remedy for these problems.  First, females need to understand that selecting a firearm is like looking for a great pair of shoes that need to be comfortable and fit properly!  You wouldn't go shopping for shoes with your girlfriend and force your foot into a shoe that fits her or proves to be a great selection based on your girlfriend's taste in shoes, would you?

The grip area of a firearm is very important.  This needs to fit your hand comfortably, while also allowing your finger to reach the trigger as the "backstrap" area of the grip remains in the middle of your hand.  Gun manufacturers are becoming smarter and offering some firearms that allow the interchangeable grips to be swapped out depending upon hand size.

Remember, only the middle padding of the trigger finger should be on the trigger itself when firing.  Your hand should not move at all when firing.  Trigger control means pulling the trigger to the rear rather than applying a "slapping" movement of the trigger with your finger.  Slowly let your trigger finger ride the trigger all the way out, this is "follow through."  If you can't do this because the trigger is so hard to pull, and you find that it is impossible to not move the firearm, this trigger is to much for you!  This is causing the downward movement of the firearm.  As a result, your shots will continue to fall below the bullseye on the target.

Oftentimes, a bad habit can occur when a shooter anticipates the gun going off followed by a "bang."  This is called anticipation.

Firearms with "hammers" are great especially on revolvers because they afford you the opportunity to cock the hammer back when firing each shot which is called "single action."  You will find that this might improve your ability to actually fire into the bullseye without forcing the gun in a downward motion because the trigger was originally so strong.  As a side note, there is a possibility that a gunsmith can also go in and release the tension on your trigger making  you a happier gal!

The bottom line is that a firearm purchase should be based on what YOU like and what fits YOUR hand!  The best way in determining this is to rent as many firearms at the range for shooting, and make a list of what you might prefer.  Join a women's firearms group, such as SHE CAN SHOOT, that will allow you to go shooting and receive training with various firearms.  Get feedback from other women!  Next time, don't let that person behind a gun counter sell you what they think you should have.  Arm yourself with knowledge.

SHE CAN SHOOT Nationwide training!

http://www.cbs42.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=3739058

SHE CAN SHOOT, Firearms & Self Defense, Chapters Nationwide

SHE CAN SHOOT, WUSA Channel 9 Interview_Chapters Nationwide