Girls and Guns

by: Amy Carducci

This week two stories caught my attention in the media because they featured women and guns. This is a subject close to my heart for obvious reasons. One story delighted my heart while the second story angered me in the tone and misuse of terms. As we all know firearms in the liberal media often are portrayed as the “bad things.”

Let’s begin with the story that made me smile. Have you seen the short movie “The Debutante Hunters?” This documentary focuses on a group of South Carolina women who hunt. The film won the audience award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah last week. The producer – director Maria White won a $5,000 check and will be investigating making the short documentary into a series and has even been contacted by a number of networks and production companies.

The film explains why the women hunt and the bond the group of ladies have in common. One of my favorite quotes from the movie is from a young woman in her tree stand explaining why she loves to hunt. She dislikes that hunting is often seen in a bad light. In her words, “a lot about hunting is not just about shooting and killing things …it is as much as being part of nature. If you have never listened to the woods wake up in the morning, I strongly suggest it.” Another female hunter agrees stating “amazing things that happen in the woods. It is so peaceful watching the wildlife.” They explain the sense of humbleness and gratitude they feel from hunting.

Seeing hunting and women portrayed in such a positive light put a huge smile on my face. Congratulations to the women and the director for a fine piece of work. I’ve seen bad reviews on the internet as well as positive reviews. I happen to love this group of women and hope you check out the film. It might just be the best 12 minutes of your day.

Sadly, I will step on my soap box as I finish this post and explain the news article that upset me when I began to read a feature story in the January 22, Atlanta Journal and Constitution. The story is called “Shooters aim for good reads” and is about a Guns, Girls and Good books club here in Atlanta. Wow! From the picture of the lady shooting an orange silhouette target to the picture of the book and a glass of wine, I was drawn to this article. Books and guns are two of my favorite hobbies. Surely this would be a positive article, right?

WRONG!

I should have known the liberal paper would turn a very positive group into a gun-wielding bunch of crazy women with “assault rifles.” The article opens with paragraph after paragraph talking about fashion and the purse choices of the ladies. Finally, the article gets to point and talks about the ladies at the range. Now their choice of a gun range happens to be one of my favorite ranges here in Atlanta – Sharpshooters USA. I am optimistic at this point that the article will turn from a fashion read to women responsibly enjoying a day at the range. Of course, that would not be the case.

The article states the women were standing before “an intimidating display of black ASSAULT RIFLES.” WHAT?? Did the fact checker not discover that AR stands for Armalite and not assault rifles? Those firearms are modern sporting rifles and when did they become intimidating for women? Does the naïve writer not understand that women can shoot more than a handgun? Women shoot shotguns, carbines and rifles. An AR-15 carbine or rifle is not intimidating, but actually quite fun at the range. At this point I am still hoping for positive view of a day at the range, but my hopes vanish.

As the women are heading into the bays, the article introduces the range master by explaining he “was firing what looked like an Uzi at a target an impossible distance away.” Ok, now there are two major points in this sentence that upset me. An Uzi? Why pick an Uzi? Was the writer watching a 1980s Miami Vice drug raid when she wrote the article? Does the Atlanta Journal realize that an Uzi is a rather short open bolt, blowback-operated submachine gun? I have a sneaky feeling he was shooting some type of modern sporting rifle and not an Uzi. In my humble opinion an Uzi sounds mean and intimidating – just the picture the writer wanted to paint. She picked a firearm with a bad reputation. Again, I wonder if she is just that naïve?

Now the second issue with the sentence actually made me laugh – “an impossible distance away.” I have been to lots of indoor ranges and there is no distance inside that is impossible. Again, the writer wants to scare away women from a range by using words such as Uzi and impossible distances.

By now Danny is getting the full brunt of my anger toward the paper and the article actually continues to get worse if you can believe it. Once the women find a bay and start firing, the writer, Rosalind Bentley, paints a violent picture for the reader. Bentley writes “BLAM! One to the heart. BLAM! One to the lung. BLAM! One to the forehead. BLAM!!! Right between the eyes.” Words have left me as I continue to read. The quote “you don’t really have to aim” was enough to send me over the edge.

The article concludes as to why women carry concealed and practice at the range. The writer feels it gives them a “sense” of safety and control. There was a positive quote by one of the ladies explaining that learning to shoot can give women self-assurance and help them be more aware.

As I stand here on my soap box, I am angered at the liberal media who want to paint gun owners in a bad light. I want to show my fellow women that guns are safe and can be fun. I applaud the film “The Debutant Hunters” for the positive views about hunting and women highlighted in the documentary. Maybe one day all media will see that women are not at the range surrounded by intimidating assault rifles and scared by an Uzi. In fact, the media does not need to look far to find confident women who enjoy shooting whether for fun or safety. I fear the media cannot look with unbiased eyes but, I know, however, that hunting is good for the environment and it’s perfectly ok for a girl to be a bad ass at the range. You know I now have this urge to grab my guns and gear…see you on the range!

For more information about “The Debutante Hunters” check out their Facebook page. You can check out Armalite here and to see what’s new from Uzi here. NRA First Shots and other programs are great for all shooters. Danny and I are both NRA Certified instructors and would be happy to help you at the range. Just email amy@carduccitactical.com for more information.

Here’s the awesome documentary “The Debutante Hunters”:

http://d.yimg.com/nl/movies/site/player.html#vid=27874990

(Note: All opinions are simply mine. All quotes from this article are from the documentary “The Debutant Hunters” or “Shooters aim for a good read” from the January 22nd edition of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.)

Dr. Suzanna Hupp – From Luby’s to the Legislature

Long before September the 11^th, part of America’s innocence was shattered on October 16, 1991 in the central Texas town of Killeen.  At lunchtime a man drove his pickup truck through a window at a local cafeteria called Luby’s.  Twenty four people were murdered in cold blood by a deranged man who ended his life after the 15 minute rampage.  If the laws of the country supported Second Amendment rights, a patron named Suzanna Hupp might have changed history and stopped the deaths of the patron’s of Luby’s cafeteria.  In her book, “From Luby’s to the Legislature,” Suzanna Hupp defends the right for all people to carry a weapon.  She so believed in her cause she became a Representative in Texas.  The book details her life and her mission to change government.

I had the chance this past fall to meet Dr. Hupp and hear her powerful story.  She was the keynote speaker at the GeorgiaCarry.Org convention.  She commands your attention and if you get a chance, you should read her book, “From Luby’s to the Legislature.”  It’s a short read, and you will quickly find that you do not want to put the book down even for a minute. Read more

Going for Gold in 2016 – Morgan Dulaney Takes Aim

Shooting a 4 1/2 inch disc that is hurling through the air at 45 miles an hour is easy, right?  For many of us shooting those tiny clay pigeons can be a tough skill to master; however, for Morgan Dulaney practice makes perfect.  This rising star is just 18 years old and already has one national title under her belt.

How does she do it?  Carducci Tactical got to spend a few minutes with this delightful young woman on the range and could not help but be impressed not only with her skills but her dedication.   Morgan recently won the National Last Man Standing competition at the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) Nationals in Sparta, Illinois.   Trapshooting comes natural for Morgan who has been shooting her entire life.  The humble teenager understands the hard work and dedication needed to compete not only on the range but in life.

This fall she will be attending the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh majoring in nursing.  School is not her only obligation.  Morgan has taken on the challenge of establishing a SCTP club at her college.   It takes courage and confidence to take on this task and I asked her why this was so important to her.  Morgan responded, “It is a big commitment, but there is no better way to help the competitive shooting sports cause than to actually get out there and try to start a program. “

The Scholastic Clay Target Program’s mission is simple and straight forward.  The program’s goal is to introduce school-age youths to the clay target sports.  The program  focuses on safety and providing a positive and supportive program that instills leadership, responsibility and commitment in the young athletes.  Morgan will have assistance from the SCTP and the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

SCTP has taught Morgan how to handle challenges with grace and maturity.  She expressed, “Sometimes when I explain to people that I have a gun club through my school they ask a lot of questions.  People do not realize that it is not guns that hurt people, it is the person behind the gun.  I explain to join SCTP we MUST have hunter safety before we can even think about shooting.  Also on our team, we have a no strikes policy.  Basically, the first time you endanger yourself or someone around you – you are done – not just for the day, but for the duration of the school year.  SCTP is a positive influence in my life, and I always try to invite people to come and see what we do and join in the fun.”

I decided to take Morgan’s advice and try trap shooting for the first time at a recent outing in Ogden, Utah.  As I watched Morgan hit clay after clay, I grabbed a Remington 12-Gauge shotgun and tried my luck.  What are Morgan’s words of wisdom for a first-time shooter? “Don’t be afraid.  Shoot a smaller gun and work your way up.  Shoot lighter loads and try a pad for your shoulder.  Do not be scared – just have a positive attitude and go into it with a positive outlook.”

I did not get a chance to shoot against Morgan, but I  asked for instruction to help with recoil.  Morgan explained,  ”There are two big things that you need to remember when you are shooting trap.  First if you are right handed when you lift your right arm it will create a pocket in your shoulder for your gun to fit into, so make sure your gun is going into the right spot.  Secondly, remember to pull the gun tight to your shoulder.  If you don’t pull the  gun tight, it will kick harder.  Try to remember to keep it snug.”

Morgan’s skills do not stop on the range.  SCTP has allowed her to motivate others with her words of wisdom.  “SCTP has taught me the only way to be a good leader is to know how to be a good follower,” explains Morgan.  “You have to put yourself in other people’s shoes and try to use motivation that would convince yourself.  I learned that people at any age – young or old – want you to give them information you believe in and to be sincere.  Try to connect with them and that makes it easier to motivate them.”

The best piece of advice that she shares with young shooters?  Morgan does not disappoint in explaining to set goals and aim for the best.  “For people who already shoot, I would say to aim high and do not be afraid to fail.  You might not be the best right now, but if you keep working the possibilities are infinite.  For people who do not shoot yet – try it once.  If you don’t like it then you never have to do it again, but don’t be afraid to try something because it is different or because you are scared of what someone might think.  In the end, all that matters is how you feel about it – nothing else is important,” she continues.

My final question for Morgan was about her insight on attracting more women to the shooting sports.   Morgan admitted that she was not sure about joining SCTP since there was only one other girl on her team.  She took the leap of faith and hopes that other women “have someone to look up to and look to for advise, guidance and encouragement.”  With role models like Morgan, I am sure the sport will continue to explode with growth and popularity.

Morgan Dulaney is a rising star in the shotgun sports with a target set on GOLD in the 2016 Olympics.  She is a positive role model for women and young shooters promoting safety and integrity.  Morgan spends long hours training to stay focused.  One of her goals is to inspire young girls  not only in shooting but in making smart life decisions.   Morgan sums up it up best in her words by stating that she hopes to “show that girls can kick some butt in the shooting sports.”  I know I will be following her path as she strives for a medal.  Morgan Dulaney is a determined young woman who will be tomorrow’s hero.

For more information about other Women Shooters and to follow Morgan’s progress check out Carducci Tactical’s website and blog.