NRA Women Presented by Smith & Wesson 
A paper target hangs 21 feet in the distance as Michelle Carpenter grips her handgun, takes aim and shoots. This is only her second visit to the shooting range, and she hits the bull’s-eye. The bang is deafening, and the shells come flying out, but she has ear protection to shield her ears from the noise and shooting glasses to protect her eyes.
Carpenter is a member of the Well Armed Woman, a national group that teaches women proper shooting technique, gun safety and home defense. Its members are as diverse as the guns they choose to shoot at Take Aim Gun Range, the host range for the Sarasota chapter. (Click here to see if there is a chapter in your area!)
Mothers, grandmothers, students, beginners and experienced shooters meet to learn a new topic each month. The local chapter started in June and already has 20 members.
NRA-certified instructor Michael Magowan leads women through an hour-long meeting during which they ask questions and learn about the topic of the month. In August, Magowan, who also started Veritas Training Academy, a shooting class for women, discussed how to protect homes from intruders. Afterward, the women shot targets on the range for about one-and-a-half hours to gain better shooting accuracy.
“I am here to train women to defeat evil, should they try to do bad things to them. That’s it,” Magowan says.
The Well Armed Woman is about empowering women through gun safety and education. Co-leader of the Sarasota chapter, Heather Bucarion, says that women feel more comfortable training with other women. She says it also helps to have another woman’s input on holsters and handgun preference because women are built differently than men.
“It’s camaraderie,” she says. “You are not intimidated by another man. Even though one of the instructors is a man, he actually prefers to train women because they listen more and they have a better reaction time. And, it’s just a lot of fun. You feel more relaxed.”
The local chapter of The Well Armed Woman meets the first Saturday of every month at Take Aim Gun Range. Handguns are available for rent, and shooters can purchase ammunition at the range. Membership is $12 for the year and $15 per lane rental. For information, visit The Well Armed Woman Sarasota, Florida Shooting Chapter’s Facebook page or email TWAWSarasota@gmail.com.
“It’s not just about defending themselves physically, but it is also a good mindset that they are strong enough to defend themselves and their families,” Bucarion says.
Brought to you by Smith & Wesson, NRA Women’s New Energy series will introduce you to Lisa Looper. She doesn’t believe that carrying a gun has to hinder a woman’s sense of style. Her original design, the Flashbang Bra Holster, allows Lisa to dress how she wants when she carries a gun, and gives her the peace of mind that she can protect her children.
I have three favorite parts of this video. First, the ingenuity Lisa had to find a solution that allowed her to be a woman and still conceal a gun, not to mention designing one of the most popular holsters for women. Second, the feeling in her voice when she discusses her desire to protect her children, that is perhaps my number one reason I initially bought my first gun. Like Lisa, I cannot imagine someone attempting to hurt my babies and not being able to stop them – it would be my worst nightmare. And lastly, how she is out there teaching other women to shoot and love this sport.
Watch more New Energy profiles on more inspiring women like Lisa at www.nrawomen.tv.
You can browse and purchase her designs at this link.
Il Ling New, Gunsite Rangemaster, is also a professional guide in the United States and a National Sporting Clays Association Instructor. She teaches Defensive Handgun, Rifle, Shotgun, Hunting Rifle and Wingshooting courses at Gunsite. Watch Il Ling in the video below, where she discusses ammo placement. She discusses it as it applies to hunting, but this is an excellent practice for many applications, such as competitive shooting as well. It allows for your “muscle memory” to take over and will reduce time and mistakes. Thank you Il Ling for taking the time to share this useful tip!
Watch this video titled, Cold Dead Hands, written by Jennifer Lawson and Bo Dottley. Jennifer is talented and she has a great voice. I love that she is a lady rocking on her guitar singing about the Second Amendment, a subject near and dear to my heart! Get the word out about this song. You can watch it below on You Tube or you can buy it on iTunes. Support those who share our beliefs!
Cold Dead Hands
Simple man, simple ways, blue collar, American made
Fear the Lord and love my family
You better not tread on me cause in the name of Liberty
You know I’m gonna fight til the bitter end
Like a mighty oak I’m gonna stand my ground
You can bet your butt I’ll never lay these pistols down
Cause this fight ain’t just about freedom, it goes a lot deeper than that
It’s about the blood our brothers shed so you can have a place to hang your hat
And if you try and take em you’ll cross that line I’ve drawn in the sand
You can have my guns when you pry em from my cold dead hands.
Just a worn out Sweet 16, it’s loaded up with memories
One of these days I’m gonna pass it on
Handed down with pride you see it’s my grand daddy’s legacy
Ain’t a man alive gonna take it away
If he were here today let me tell you son
He’d walk through hell before you ever took his guns
CHORUS
Now I lay me down to sleep, 12 gauge by the door I keep
It’s there to protect my family
Just remember it’s our right to keep and bear so we can fight
Against the thugs and government tyranny
And as long as Uncle Sam stands his ground,
You can bet your butt we’ll never lay these pistols down
REPEAT CHORUS
I am excited to tell you about a new “Tips & Tactics” series from NRA Women, with the first episode to be released tomorrow. I would like to thank NRA Women for sending me an advance preview. If the first video, “Rifle Manipulating” by Kim Heath is any indication, this is going to be a great resource both for those ladies just starting out learning how more experienced ladies operate their firearms, to the more seasoned female shooter, as there is always something new to learn. This series is designed to provide weekly tips a lady can take to the range each week. You can look forward to a new short video with a new tip or tactic every Thursday.
Have you ever had a firearms instructor, or other male friend try to explain to you how to clear a rifle malfunction, but due to their strong upper body strength, they make it look much easier than it seems when you try to clear your rifle? Watch this video by Kim Heath as she gives you an alternate plan for holding the rifle, and allowing a nearly infinite hold while you check for malfunctions or reload your rifle. Thank you for the tip Kim!
The Armed Citizen Project, a Texas-based nonprofit dedicated to building secure neighborhoods by creating responsible gun owners, has set a date for its national expansion. On August 10th the group is prepared to celebrate its inaugural National Empowerment Day by training and arming hundreds of mothers and single women across the country.
Recently, the group garnered attention for its efforts to reform the crime-riddled Oak Forest neighborhood in Houston. In this instance, dozens of qualified homeowners were provided with a free 12-gauge pump action shotgun upon completion of a concentrated safety and tactical training course.
Such training will also play a key part in National Empowerment Day. Working with shooting ranges and gun clubs across the country, the group hopes to not only provide these women with a sense of security, but also wants to directly confront misconceptions regarding women and guns.
In short, the group aims to dramatically change common perceptions about women regarding their comfort and ability to wield a firearm. In a statement Executive Director Kyle Coplen notes that he sees this effort as “combating the subtle misogynistic nature of the anti-gun lobby.”
We are empowering citizens and deterring crime, one free shotgun at a time.
An ancillary objective of the group is to remove perceived barriers to gun ownership that exist in the minds of many. “Our training is thorough, but there are often concerns from participants regarding licensing and registration restrictions that frankly, do not exist,” says Coplen “We have a duty to not only train, but also to tear down these imaginary walls.”
ACP is committed to building safe communities by facilitating the right guaranteed to all Americans through the Second Amendment. Prospective participants are encouraged to visit the group’s website at ArmedCitizenProject.org for more information and to apply for training.
The Armed Citizen Project is funded through private donations made through their website, www.armedcitizenproject.org, and will also accept contributions of firearms.
I have a teenage daughter, and for a number of reasons she never learned to use a firearm yet – until a couple months ago. When she was young, I was not ready to teach her – she didn’t grow up in a rural area. As she got older and as a firearm enthusiast began to take shape inside of me, she was not that interested. She has become a lovely young lady, and is more adult everyday, and quite interested now in learning and growing and becoming self-reliant. About six months ago she did tell me she wanted to learn, she was ready. I did get a .22lr Browning Buckmark pistol – the one I have been wanting so that I could teach her when she was ready. We know what happened next – the ammo buying frenzy that made acquiring .22lr next to impossible, no matter how much one was willing to pay. Lately, I have been finding it again – not as cheap as it had been, but good enough (and worth it) if it meant teaching my baby girl to shoot.
How did I teach her? Well, before we ever set foot in the range, over the last few months, she has helped me clean my XD45 and sat with me and asked me lots of questions. Also, as the political firestorm occurred in the media, we talked about the 2nd Amendment and what it means, along with the huge responsibility owning or possessing a firearm brings. We sat together and compared .22lr, 9mm, .45, .223 ammo and discussed the differences and how they were used and how each different caliber would react in it’s respective firearm. Sitting in the comfort of our home, I ensured the firearms were unloaded, showed her how to check if they were unloaded and discussed handling a firearm safely, This included a discussion on the rules at a gun range. I also used this quiet time to show her how to use her sights, find a good sight picture, and how to hold the gun properly. I knew she was ready to learn, because even though she is a teenager, and sometimes think she knows everything – she listened to every word, and soaked it in like a sponge.
Finally, we went to the range, we discussed safety again, and she read the range rules as posted at our range. Then, I had her watch while I shot a magazine full of .22lr (did I mention how much fun this gun is?) Once I was finished, and she knew what to expect, how loud it would be, and how little it recoils, I had her step up to the bench. She took a moment to ensure her grip was proper, and then I watched her to ensure everything was safe and I told her to go ahead and pull the trigger. That girl took to shooting like a fish to water!
The head was her first magazine at 15 yards and the chest was her second at 20 yards.
Here is a video of the second magazine full of ammo she went though. She is going to be a force to be reckoned with when she is old – watch out boys!
I am sure that by now many of you have seen the video of the terrifying home invasion in New Jersey. The video of the mother who was beaten in front of her three year old daughter and then violently thrown down her basement stairs was caught on the “Nanny Cam” in their living room. One moment everything was fine, they were just watching TV – the next moment there was a traumatic scene played out before a small child, and a mother who is lucky to be alive today. (Thanks to America’s SgtMaj for the hat-tip on this video!)
The company that made the below infographic with recommendations to make your home less of a target asked me to share it with my readers. I didn’t want to share the shocking video without balancing with some ideas on how to protect yourself at home. I am going to start discussing this topic more in-depth in the coming weeks. Please start making an assessment of how ready you are to respond to a home invasion and then – let’s talk.
Why I am a female gun owner: It’s not what the media assumes
The media does seem to have a bias that assumes that most female gun owners only want their guns for self defense. That is one of the reasons I bought my first gun. BUT – I also bought my first gun because my very best male friend really enjoyed the sport, and I was interested in learning more and trying out some of the competitions he enjoyed. It opened up an entire world to me that, in spite of my military career, I had not expected to find. I also discovered that I LOVED everything about guns, tinkering with them, shooting all types, learning every detail I could – and I love that even if I live another 60 years, I will never learn it all. Firearms satisfy the geek in me, learning ballistics, various calibers, which type of firearm is better for a given purpose, how to make that firearm reach optimum performance, optics, and reloading. Firearms give me a goal to be more athletic, focusing on future tactical long range matches and the challenge therein.
Firearms give my daughter and I something fun that we both enjoy to do together. Firearms give me a topic that most of my family and many of my friends are interested in discussing, and since the topic is so broad – almost everyone can teach everyone else something new. Lastly, maybe most importantly, firearms give me security – the knowledge that I have a chance to protect my children, that we are not just sitting ducks, should our home be chosen by a criminal. All of this, and MORE, is why I love my guns. Ladies, why do you own a gun? How did you get started? Do you enjoy using your firearm? What is your favorite part about being a knowledgable gun owner?
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