August is the best time to take someone to the range!
It’s National Shooting Sports Month and coming of the heels of Summer Olympics in Tokyo, with Team USA has collected 6 medals in shooting, 3 of them GOLD!
There are 3 disciplines of shooting in Olympics – rifle, pistol and shotgun.
Rifle and pistol are about marksmanship skills hitting a still target where as shotgun is hitting a moving target or clay target (skeet)
“There are four gun types and three distances: 50m rifle, 10m air rifle, 25m rapid fire pistol and 10m air pistol. There are also three shooting positions: kneeling, where the athlete goes down on one knee and rests the gun on the other knee; prone, where the athlete shoots while lying down; and standing. Some events include all these positions.”
To some, firearms may look scary and intimidating. I understand that fear, as there is after all an exploding element happening in your hand and near your face….
But so is a car crash…. But, I digress.
I invite you to open your mind to the possibility of enjoyment of the shooting sports. I can attest to how much fun shooting clay (skeet) is! In fact, that was my first experiences with shooting (other than at camp as a kid with a .22)
There’s something about the satisfaction of seeing that orange clay disk burst into tiny little bits – and there’s no mistaking who did it! 😊. Such Empowerment! Success! And pure JOY!
It’s building confidence and self esteem – it’s a wonderful dish of empowerment for the soul.
And you can have this too! Many ranges have special events or classes just for women.
Women are the largest, and fastest, growing demographic, and during August Shooting Sports Month, look for special events and invite your friends. This is a great way to introduce your kids, neighbors, girlfriends, mom and others to shooting sports.
But not just women, we need to teach the youth as well!
If you’re a woman, finding a female only class gives you “a safe environment” to ask any question. There’s no shame, no judgement, no embarrassment. We’ve all have to start our journey in order to get where we are now. We’ve been there if that’s where you are. The important step is to start… and it’s always more fun with a friend!
So you say you’ve never even touched a gun? No problem! Sign up for a beginner class at your range or get a friend to take you to the range or the class with you. No matter the skill level, there’s always golden nuggets in taking a class.
Ever instructor teaches differently so you’re likely to hear something new with a different instructor.
As President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
It’s a new year and you’ve decided to be responsible – responsible for your life and your safety. You’ve decided the fear of losing life is greater than the fear of learning how to shoot a firearm- safely and to learn about firearms in general. Let me congratulate you again on this big step! Please know you are not alone in this journey. There are several resources out there, no matter where you are on the journey. We are always learning new skills and perfecting old ones. Were you using the excuse that ‘my husband is my protector’ – “he’ll save me”. When I started leaving the house before him going to an office in a remote business complex, he said it’s time I learned how to shoot and carry (a gun)… for MY own SAFETY!
At this point in my life, my kids were out of the house, but I can assure you that if they were younger and at home, knowing what I know now, I’d learned how to shoot much earlier than I did. Thank goodness for my husband’s suggestion and encouragement! Is your significant other ‘pushing’ (i.e. encouraging) you to carry?
One other excuse we may tell ourselves is, that I don’t live or go to bad area(s) of town. Has this thought kept you from learning to shoot? Do you really think for one minute, that there isn’t a bad area of town, anywhere? Unfortunately, I have to say “Not in this day and age”. That may have been true once upon a time, but sadly, it ain’t the truth no more. Unfortunately, the news has a revolving headline of bad, evil people doing bad, evil acts everywhere… even in church (White Settlement, Tx).
The point being is that your odds aren’t zero (of something happening to you or someone you know). Isn’t it better to be prepared; have a plan and a means in which to protect yourself no matter where you go or live? This doesn’t mean you have to choose a firearm for protection. There are other non-lethal options, but you should learn how to use whatever device you pick. Some of these non-lethal tools might be a striking tool/pen, pepper spray, stun gun, or a taser (check with state laws as taser guns aren’t legal in every state).
It is a fact that you are responsible for every bullet that leaves your muzzle and I can understand that is a scary thought should you actually have to draw your weapon as a defense and the fear that you might not hit your target. No matter if you believe your husband is a better shot, when it comes to stress (unless training under stress) we really don’t know how we’ll respond. With some forethought, planning and even training, if both you are armed, you both are able to defend. You double your powers of observation, information processing and defense. Don’t fall into this thinking: “What are the chances that….and I don’t want to live/think being paranoid.”It is practical, intelligent and necessary to consider that bad things might happen. In fact, many use Coopers color system of awareness. Think about how you plan for emergencies in other areas of your life. These days no one leaves home without their cell phone, why? Ok, so you don’t want to miss any news but isn’t it also for safety? In case of flat tire, you get lost or a true emergency. Think of it this way, you don’t expect to have a kitchen fire but I bet you have a fire extinguisher nearby so why not apply this same reasoning to yourself and your safety?
Resources: Women’s Concealed Carry Alliance, A Girl and A Gun, The Well-Armed Woman, and your local range
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. 
