How To Get Women Into The Gun Concept

This has been a hot topic of conversation for several months now, making national news of the record breaking number of women purchasing guns and getting concealed carry permits. There has also been an increase in the number of women seeking training in general self-defense tactics.

Still there remains an “antigun” biases with a large population of women. Some refer to it as the Suzy Homemaker Issue. Women have achieved being equals in our culture, but many still hold on to the thought process that the gun is the symbol of male violence and therefore something they want nothing to do with, even something they allow themselves to fear. It is a topic discussed by Susan Brown Miller in her book Against our Will. I acknowledge that there was a time and place in our history that that may have been true. But in today’s modern progressive society especially where a woman may very well be the head of her own household, the gun is a tool just like any other. It is not about male or female, it is about empowerment. As women we take on the role of Mother Bear to protect our cubs. We don’t have claws or teeth as does a real mother bear, so we need to get them artificially… guns, knives, kubatans, pepper spray, stun guns… these are all forms of claws and teeth we use to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

What I ask of all women is that you give yourself every opportunity to learn, grow and thrive in all ways possible. Learning to handle firearms for sport shooting or otherwise is a very empowering adventure and it changes your perception of “self”. It is very important for women to have positive female role models in the firearms industry. I strongly encourage you when seeking out a firearms training course, that you look for one that has a female role model on staff rather than an overall male environment. Especially if you are new and feeling timid. Knowing that there is someone like you teaching from a similar perspective will ease the experience.

It might not be for you, it might turn out to be the most exciting experience you have ever had, but it will spark a feeling inside you of YES I CAN. Take that and use it in your life. Learn… Grow… Thrive!

Resources for Women in the Firearms Industry
· Kathy Jackson- The cornered cat
· Gila Hayes- Effective Defense, The woman the plan and the gun, Personal defense for woman
· Paxton Quigley- Armed and Female

This is the Face of Women and Guns… Who is Listening?

Self esteem, empowerment, confidence… words that are always closely associated with women and girls. It is how we see our self, how others judge us by our actions or in actions, and the constant image that is projected by media, political agendas, even how products are marketed to us. Lets talk about my market… the firearms industry. I am a bit bothered that in this current explosion of women and guns, there is a strange mix of empowerment and belittling happening at the same time. For sure the firearms industry wants our consumer dollars, and our husbands are jumping for joy because if mama is buying guns, then the chances go up for hubby to buy more guns too. But there is a constant image of half naked women holding guns wrong, and snickers about pink guns or painted backstraps, even disrespect at the gun counter that separates us from really participating in the mainstream. What has been missed in this entire equation is how women really relate to their guns, which is a direct connection to their self esteem, sense of empowerment and confidence, as it applies in this discussion of women and guns.

I have a nice glimpse of this social experience. A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League has connected me with hundreds of women, all different stages of life and reasons for participating in shooting activities. No matter if it is a woman I meet in person at the range, or the gal I meet on Facebook across the country, we are all bonding in a sisterhood, the common interest of shooting guns because it is fun and we can invoke our own style. It has nothing to do with if we shoot a pink gun (or my color of choice… purple). It has nothing to do with the color of our range bag or the bling on the earmuffs… it has everything to do with personal connections and how those personal touches makes us feel. The explosion of women and guns is a direct connection with the fact that we are embracing “girly” behavior along side learning a skill set that enables self esteem to blossom into the empowerment and confidence to walk into the gun store, step up to the line or join the discussion.

I am proud to be in this community of women (and the men who support us). The talent in the leadership is amazing, the women who are stepping out are inspirational, and the relationships are priceless. This is the face of women and guns… who is listening?

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

A Time to Honor

A couple of weeks ago, I found something unusual in my mailbox.  Read more

“PC” Stands for Positive Change!

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I don’t do “PC”. In my opinion, “Political Correctness,” is for the most part society’s way of accepting something that’s just plain wrong, or forgiving unacceptable behavior. Sometimes, the only way to make things right is to call someone on their conduct. Just because their attitude may be unforgiving, doesn’t mean that it’s unforgivable as long as it changes.

It’s hard for me to believe that despite the number of professional female hunters putting the fire out on record book bulls and bucks, we still have members of the male gender opposed to sharing the woods with us.

I’ve talked about the assistant at my dentist’s office before. She’s tried for years to get her husband to take her hunting. He’s always passed her off with one lame excuse or another. I’m sure he has his reasons, but I’ve done a lot of research, and for most guys it’s about giving up their own time in the woods. I just call it selfish. Sharing your passion for hunting with someone else should be considered an investment, not a sacrifice. It’s simply a matter of giving back to something we take from season after season.

Last week, I was looking at a selection of hunting magazines when I noticed one with a female hunter on the cover. Impressed, I picked it up to check it out. Turns out, the girl was a model that enjoyed hunting, which was awesome. Truth be told, I don’t care if a woman was previously a center-fold, or if she hails from true back country, and has a full beard. If she portrays hunting in a positive light, meaning being legal, ethical, and behaving respectably, then more power to her.

Then I read the caption that went along with the cover picture. “We thought long and hard before putting a female on the cover…..” Okay, seriously?

I’m the first to admit that I get bent the wrong way too easily, and this was no exception. I’m also the first to admit that sometimes, I need to assess a situation before going off half cocked, and once again this was no exception. While the fact that they had to think “long and hard” about putting a female hunter on the cover bugged the crap out of me, it was also a testament to how unforgiving behavior can relinquish its hold on a tradition that never should have been. After all, women hunters aren’t exactly a new concept. It’s just that there are more now than ever, and the demographic keeps growing. Regardless, a changed attitude like this deserves forgiveness.

The realization that women are an asset to hunting, and that it has nothing to do with gender is catching on, and thankfully spreading like wild fire. It has everything to do with driving up hunting numbers, with the end result favoring not only the future of hunting, but the impending state of our ecosystems as well.

I’d even go so far as to extend a couple thumbs up to the Illinois Outdoor News publication.  Sure, they’ve been trailblazers from the beginning, but the real tribute is that they’re brave enough to stick my mug and opinions in their paper and on their website!

 

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

Our simple freedoms have been violated. Many are now worried about their companies, their business, their customers and clients. The status of our daily lives, both personally and professionally has been changed forever. The one element we control is our personal freedom. Freedom begins with you and by taking personal responsibility for everything — including your success.
The first step to renew freedom is to develop a free agent mind set. Be willing to accept and grow with the talents your have. See yourself as a winner. And remember that no one owes you anything. Ever.
The road to freedom is the following seven laws. What will you be willing to focus on and change? Do you have the passion to be really free – because freedom is not free.

Law 1: Independence is the best hedge against a downturn.

In fact, free agents are safer in an economic storm than their job-holding counterparts. The reason: They’re diversified and they leverage their talents.  If you are working for someone else, become a diversified intra-free agent. Learn everything you can to protect your future! Either way, take control of your future and your freedom.

Law 2: When times get tougher, quality counts.

Gun Rights or Gun Control?

So what’s the big deal about gun rights? For me, it is less about the Second Amendment and more about my total constitutional rights.  You probably already know that the Second Amendment is “the right to bear arms” and I want that right!  If we disarm citizens saying that only the militia should have guns, the criminals will have weaponry and I will not. We should all be very glad that the DC Law banning handguns was overturned.  Preparing myself for attacks from people that do not understand our constitutional rights can be difficult. So here are my talking points, and feel free to use whatever you like.

I want to be around men and women who care about the safety and security of our families, and who are committed to upholding the Second Amendment and the Constitution of the United States of America.

Men have always hunted together or gone shooting together — women can do that too, and then hit the spa afterwards! This means our shooting rights cannot be changed. We must support politicians that uphold our constitutional rights outlined in the Second Amendment.

The SecondAmendment isn’t just for boys. The right to keep and bear arms belongs to us as women, too.  In fact, it may be more important for women to have that right than for men who are generally bigger and stronger.  I want to make sure that our daughters will always have the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense, sport shooting, and hunting.

 

Did you know New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy introduced a bill to drastically overhaul the nation’s gun control laws? Read more by clicking here. With elections just around the corner, know how your politicians stand on gun rights.

What do you say when someone is upset that you shoot or hunt? I think we all need to have words or statements prepared for a response, personalized to our own beliefs. What are your thoughts on Gun Control or Gun Rights?

 

Dogless Duck Hunting

Hi. My name is Holly. I hunt ducks without a dog. Read more

DamselFly Fisher Explains Why It’s Important to Tip Guides …

Katherine Browne writes about the importance of factoring in a tip for a guide if you’re on a hunting or fishing trip. It’s more than courtesy. Read her opinion here at her blog at Women’s Outdoor News, DamselFly Fisher.

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