Today's Woman and Firearms

Are you part of the startling 49% INCREASE of gun sales that occurred in November 2008? (over the previous year of the same month) Chances are, if you’re female, you actually represent the majority of those purchases. That’s right. The majority.

If I were to state that this is an important time in history, many of you may think that I’m referring to the political shift in power. However, I’m actually referring to the undeniable shift in interest of the expert use of firearms. Over the last 12 months, women have been coming out of the woodwork in record droves and declaring their independence by taking part in firearm safety and use. Women are starting to feel like they can no longer stay in the dark when it comes to firearm safety and usage. After all, the best safety measure anyone can have when it comes to firearms is knowledge.

In Caitlin Kelly’s 2004 book, Blown Away: American Women and Guns, she points out that today’s women realize that they simply aren’t as well protected as they need to be. Their levels of knowledge and self-defense protection simply aren’t keeping up with the rate of violent crimes against women. Thus they are searching for more effective means of providing that necessary protection. Women today understand that the power of a competent marksman is a great equalizer against violent crime, and they are refusing to become the next victim statistic.

Lest we forget, shooting is also fun. It’s not unusual to see women joining in dirt bike racing, camping and hiking, fishing, hunting, and other activities that have been predominantly occupied by men. A feminine touch on a rifle or handgun is just one more expression of women’s exploration for new, fun, and exciting. And it gives women a great outlet for their inherent hand-eye coordination talents. Skeet and target shooting make for a great stress reliever worthy of today’s challenges.

And lastly, it’s no secret that women are nurturers by nature. With the growing number of single mothers in our nation, women are beginning to take sole responsibility for soundly protecting their families as well. It’s simply not enough in today’s society to remind the children not to talk to strangers. This has led a dramatic increase in the number of single moms clamoring for firearm training classes. Unfortunately, these classes are lacking in one critical component.

With as many women who are seeking training, the number of females who are sufficiently trained and willing to offer such training has a long ways to go to merit the equal amounts of support that women gun owners are now in search of. More of these capable women need to come out of their proverbial closets and show a sister how to make strides in competently ensuring safety and use without regrets of her firearm.

Experienced females need to help our society shed the warped image of women and firearms as well. We need to demand more fashionable and female minded options for firearm carrying and sports. We need to counter the notion that a firearm somehow strips a woman of her femininity and show that it does not negate her instinct to nurture and care. A firearm does not make a woman a brash warrior. In fact, a firearm in the properly trained hands brings an abundance of confidence and peace. (And yes, I do mean “peace” in more than one way.)

Given all of the images that are flashed on television and in magazines which attempt to make us feel like we’re not doing enough, not skinny enough, or just plain not enough, it seems to me that we could use a lot more women gun owners in this nation. So if you’ve got the talent for competent firearm usage, share it. If you have an interest burgeoning for more knowledge in this regard, act on it. There’s plenty of “sistas” willing to join you.

Bring on the Confidence and the Peace.

Kellene

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

What Not To Wear... when learning how to shoot a firearm

What Not To Wear
Who Not to Take
What Not To Say…when learning how to shoot a firearm.

“But I don’t want my husband to teach me how to shoot a gun.”
Yup. I’ve heard that line a LOT in my years of firearm self-defense training. And it usually also comes with a “men aren’t patient enough.” While I wholeheartedly disagree with the overall patience complaint from women toward men, I do wholeheartedly agree that learning how to shoot from your husband, father, son, boyfriend, or even a male instructor is not the wisest choice a woman could make.

Sorry ladies. This is not going to be a male bashing blog. In fact, I learned the majority of what I know about self-defense exclusively from men – especially, my expert marksman husband and a couple of patient Marine friends of mine. But I have learned what women really need in order to be properly instructed in the competent handling of a firearm and how they need to learn it from my female students. This bit of information will outline some of the points of difference between a woman and a man in learning how to competently use a firearm.

Because firearms are stereotypically such a “manly” thing, men need to stop trying to introduce them to the women as a means of making the female tougher. Women don’t want to strip themselves of their kind and gentle virtues. That’s part of what makes them women. One of the primary reasons a woman has any desire to learn how to use a firearm is a result of her fierce instinct to take care of her children and loved ones. That’s what an instructor needs to address. As such, women are more apt to learn how to handle themselves with a firearm in order to ensure that they are able to maintain peace and order in their lives.

Men need to understand that women are physiologically more sensitive to the deep bass sound than men are. This is why you are more likely to have a car banging the bass sound with the windows rolled down accompanied by a male driver rather than a female. When instructed by males, they are seemingly oblivious to this affect. And if they are unaware of it, it registers to a female as something freakish, wrong, or inept. As women we’re used to running an entire household, annual budgets, creative menu planning, power social networking, puke, pooh, blood, emotional breakdown intervention, mental manipulation, calendaring, multi-tasking, etc. We women definitely have the fortitude to be good at whatever we set our minds to. Regardless, the new sound of a round exploding in the middle of our hands is not something we’re initially oriented to handle. We women are simply more sensitive to it, and boy does it rock our world—but not in the way it does for the head banger rock hard males. The initial, uncommon sounds of a firearm going off, even a small caliber .22, often rattles a woman to the core literally. It is something that women have to get used to. And trying to do so when they are in the midst of the company of a man that they care about, would like to make proud, and consider themselves a partner to is NOT the ideal scenario. Holding a firearm for the first time is tough enough. Men, I don’t recommend having the special female in your life try to do it around you. It’s just plain stressful. The woman is usually trying to push through an instinct that has been fostered all of their lives that a firearm is a big, bad, scary thing. They don’t need the added pressure of not making you happy, pushing your patience, or doing something that’s not technically correct as well.

While men are occasionally whacked on the head, arms, or elsewhere with a loose casing, they typically think that’s pretty cool—a sign of competence and “really shooting.” I doubt they would think this way however, if the hot casing were to make it down a man’s pants and lodge itself in the family jewels. Unfortunately women rarely get the advice to refrain from wearing low cut, scoop necked or open necked tops when a man takes them shooting so as not to get an unpleasant and uninvited hot visitor in their bra. Only another woman would think to caution them against inappropriate clothing. Oh, and the make-up and jewelry. You may want to refrain from wearing them when you go shooting as well. The gun powder that you get on your face and hands is definitely not something the jewelers or department store manufacturers considered when they make their beauty and warranty claims.

Women don’t need to restrict themselves to a particular caliber either. While there is a great deal of viable evidence that a particular caliber has more stopping power than another, the stopping power is useless if you can’t handle the firearm. Just work up to a caliber and grip that feels comfortable to you. Gun ranges usually have guns to rent and test out so that you don’t make an expensive purchasing error. Use such conveniences for all it’s worth until you’re completely comfortable with a particular grip, caliber, slide, trigger pull, and action. If you are only comfortable with a .22 caliber, it’s sure better than nothing. A lot better. Most would be criminals wouldn’t know one caliber from another anyway. All they see is that you have a gun, or that you’re using a gun. Period.

Women do not need to sacrifice or hide their femininity and fashion sense in order to appreciate the protection and peace of mind that learning how to use a firearm can give them. No, women do not need to get rid of their long nails for shooting. (Just scrub them really well afterwards to get the gun powder and gases removed.) Nor do they need to begin wearing fatigues, carry ugly purses, wear hideous concealed carry vests, don macho belts, or look like they gained 50 pounds on their hips just so that they can carry a firearm with them for protection. Learning the ropes on these kinds of issues merely comes with getting your information from another woman usually…as opposed to Bubba who wears one gun in his oversized belt buckle, one in his military boot, one in his fanny pack, and one under his hat.

By the way, it’s a firearm—not a weapon. A 5 inch stiletto heel, hairspray, or a credit card is a weapon. Let’s not get them confused.

Here’s to learning…

Kellene

Women of Caliber exclusively trains women, by women, the skills of physical and firearm self-defense, including the UT Concealed Firearm Permit. For more information go to http://www.womenofcaliber.com/

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Is California Ripe for a Wrongful Death Suit?

There’s a saying that I live by in nearly every situation of my life. “There are no victims. Only volunteers.” While I am sincerely saddened by the death of a 22 year old male due to the blatant error of a law enforcement office for BART, I am also concerned for all of the passengers on the train who were fearful of their lives as a group of young men fought in their midst. Given the dearth of true concealed carry rights in California, the majority of these passengers were left to their own abilities of self-defense (against a group of angry men) and without much of an equalizer in such an environment.

As I read of the wrongful death lawsuit that the family is bringing against the officer who mistakenly shot the 22 year old man while he was resisting arrest, the thought occurred to me: How many citizens of California have been unnecessarily killed during the act of a violent crime because they do not have access to a concealed carry privilege?

For those of you who aren’t aware, California claims to have a concealed carry permit, however, it’s virtually impossible for a lay citizen to obtain. However, if you’re a public official or law enforcement, you’ll likely get a green light. But for the everyday Mr. and Mrs. Jones who foot the bills for such privileged persons, the privilege to conceal carry is denied. California’s Concealed Carry Permit is arbitrary and backed by such ridiculous constraints and “fine print” that no other state in the U.S. will recognize it, as CA does not recognize the permit of any other state.

Knowing what I know about the positive effect concealed carry permits can have in preventing crime and ultimately deaths, I’m curious how much longer the families and friends of the fallen victims over the years are going to tolerate not being granted access to defending themselves appropriately. Are there grounds against the State of California for a wrongful death suit for deaths that have occurred as a result of the legislative apathy and ignorance of the State officials? Perhaps this would be a stretch legally, although I’ve seen more unrealistic causes make their way through our court systems. I’m no attorney, but when I read about the subsequent riots in Oakland as a result of this shooting, (however grossly wrong it may be) my thoughts of alarm are for those who are forced to subject themselves to the violence of lawless masses without any appropriate defense reinforced. Violence and rage has no master except death in most cases. And clearly this large group of protestors were wreaking mayhem, terror, and the ultimate in disrespect as business and personal property was destroyed, all because an officer made a serious error when attempting to deal with a person who was resisting arrest. Keep in mind that the shooting victim had already proven himself to be obtuse to the law as he and his group continued to fight even in the presence of fully recognizable law enforcement. While this did not justify his shooting, clearly, the fact of the matter is, he would have never been in such a situation to be accidentally shot had he been respectful of persons around him, the law, and himself.

The shooting incident was unfortunate and may very well merit a $25 million wrongful death law suit. However, the needless deaths of everyday citizens in California that could have been avoided with basic training and a concealed carry permit are grosser acts of negligence in my opinion. The citizens of California and America as a whole have got a lot of work to do to protect their own freedoms. One voice can do very little when not backed by a multi-million dollar advertising budget. And besides, freedoms are better kept and appreciated by those who are forced to work for them.

Castle Defense and Women of Caliber travel regularly to California to give its residents the privilege of a Utah Concealed Firearm Permit. While this permit will do Californians little good within their own state, it will be the most significant step they can take in claiming some of their freedom as the permit is recognized in 28 other states that better value a person’s right to defend themselves. The Utah CFP is ideal for travel, out of state emergencies, and also takes a step to show California’s officials what’s important to its citizens.

In addition to the Utah CFP, these two highly respected training entities have also demonstrated their willingness to ensure sound safety and use practices by including a bonus 2 hour course, Introduction to Handgun Self-Defense, immediately after the UT CFP course. While this bonus course offered by Castle Defense and Women of Caliber is regularly sold for $300, their instructors are willing to offer it to California residents – in addition to the CFP training! – at no additional cost, in efforts to eliminate any excuse that may impede the citizens of California in competently defending themselves.

For upcoming UT Concealed Firearm Permit Courses, women can go to http://womenofcaliber.com/ and experience being taught exclusively by women in a classroom of women. Other Utah CFP courses are available through http://castledefense.com/.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.