A few weeks ago my boss announced to the marketing team that we’d be going out for a sushi lunch followed by shooting at a range as a reward for the last quarter. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement! Why didn’t I think of this? Two of my favorite things had just been combined into one day (and I wasn’t paying)!

I was a little concerned because I wasn’t sure how the other ladies would feel about this (especially since they make up half the team). Some had never shot a gun before and others hadn’t for years. I knew most of the guys had guns and would enjoy themselves. I hoped this would be a good experience for the other women on the team and I was determined to help and educate them so they could enjoy shooting (and realize that I’m not a nut for loving it).

Here’s what Cindy, a mother of 3 had to say about the experience:

“I have to admit, on the days leading up to our team activity, I wasn’t overly excited to go to the shooting range. I had never been before so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Cindy shooting a .22 revolver

I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was. After just a few minutes of instructions on how to handle the guns, I was shooting away, feeling a bit like a Charlie’s Angel. I thought, “Wow, this is fun. And easy!” We were too far away from the target to see where I was actually hitting. (Next time I’ll take along some binoculars.) Once I had a chance to get up close to my target, I realized shooting wasn’t that easy, because I never really even got close to the bulls-eye. But, it was still fun.

Most of all, the outing made me realize that with a little practice, I could feel a lot more comfortable with a gun. I went home to tell my husband that I’d like to have my own gun in the house in case of an intruder. He was all over that. I guess I know what I’m getting for Valentine’s Day…”

Rebecca: No Boys Allowed –  How a Woman Helped Me Overcome My Fear of Guns

“About a year ago, my husband Tom and I bought a handgun for home protection…a beautiful .40 caliber Glock 23 (the official pistol of the F.B.I.). He couldn’t get to the gun range fast enough, but despite his repeated attempts to drag me along, I refused to go.

The truth was, while I had no problem with the idea of owning a gun, I was terrified at the idea of actually using it. I knew the fear was irrational but couldn’t really explain it. And the longer I waited, the scarier it became.

It was especially frustrating for me because I’m a strong, independent woman. I love football and mountain biking, and have a great job that comfortably supports my family. My fear of guns was irrational…and I was embarrassed to admit it.

Rebecca shooting her .40 Glock

But I could only run from my fear for so long. My boss scheduled a team building offsite at a local gun range, and I knew that the time had come for me to face my fears.

The night before the offsite, I asked my husband to coach me on the basics of gun safety but to my surprise, it only made things worse. Despite his kind and patient guidance, I couldn’t help but think, “Sure, this is easy for you. You are big and strong and experienced. You don’t understand what it’s like for a petite woman to fire a gun.” I went to sleep more frustrated and afraid than ever.

The next afternoon at the gun range, as I watched my diminutive friend Elisa confidently handle her pistol and outshoot every man there…I decided to bite the proverbial bullet. Elisa clearly talked me through the process of loading my gun and then casually stepped back from the bench as I took aim at the target and fired!

The feeling of liberation that I experienced was indescribable. As I emptied clip after clip, I discovered that my fear had been replaced by a sense of empowerment. “This is more like it,” I thought. I had finally overcame my fear and it was all thanks to the support and guidance of a female friend.“

Amy the mother of a cute 4 year old girl tells her story:

Amy shooting a .22 rifle

“I went shooting the other day with my work crew for the first time in over 20 years. I had never shot a hand gun – only an old .22 with my dad. We went to a real shooting range and I got to shoot another .22, a .40, a 9MM and a 12 gauge shot gun. Still love the. 22 – so easy to shoot and I’m a pretty good shot. The handguns were tough to get used to but once I got the hang of them, I was at least in the inner rings of the bullseye. I waited to the end on the 12 guage and man was that fun to make the sort of impact in our targets that I did! BUT, I did get a bruise from it – fun to get a war wound – seems fitting:). AND, no eyes were shot out so all was good. I’ll be back for more for sure!“

Carrie, wife of a gun guru has this to say:

“So I get this email at work from our Executive Assistant saying that the theme of our next Marketing team “team building” outing is “sushi and shooting.”  Great.  I don’t like sushi and I’ve never shot a gun before in my life. Trying to be positive, I figured there would be something at the restaurant to order other than sushi (there was), but shooting a gun … I just don’t know about that.

It’s not that I’m anti-gun.  My dad had guns, my husband has guns, other people in my family hunt.  It’s just that I’ve never had the opportunity, or even the teensiest desire at all to shoot.

A few days after I received the email my romantic husband, Bill, calls me at work and invites me to lunch … at a shooting range.  Apparently he was excited to teach me how to shoot.  Not my choice for lunch, but what the heck, it’s still a lunch date with my husband.  Our neighbor, Darryl, got into the excitement too and brought over his.22 pistol just for me to learn with.

Carrie shooting a .22 revolver

So the next day I get to Caswell’s and all I hear is a bunch of noisy guns going off.  “Ok, let’s get this over with so I can get a sandwich,” I’m thinking as I walk up to Bill smiling like I’m excited to do this.

I got my ear protection and eye protection, and in we went to lane 11.  Someone next to us was shooting a .30-06.  If you’ve ever heard one of these outside, the sound is nothing like it is at an indoor shooting range.  I physically jumped every time the guy shot the thing.

As I was jumping from all the loud noise, Bill showed me how to load the gun, hold the gun, and aim.  Then he sent my target out … way out … to 10 feet.

I must say, I did pretty dang good during my first lesson – I don’t think I missed the target once and even got a couple shots in the bullseye (don’t be jealous, remember it was at 10 feet).  And, I did pretty well the next day at the outdoor range with my Marketing team.  I mostly hit the target with my little .22 pistol at 11 yards.

I must say, the contest where we all had to shoot a 9mm was a little intimidating.  A .22 doesn’t have any kick, but the 9mm does.  After the first shot my heart was pounding, no, before I took my first shot my heart was pounding, but the gun wasn’t as scary as I anticipated.  I didn’t win the prize but at least I hit the target three out of five times!

The truth is, my idea of an outing would be pedicures, shopping, lunch, a movie – something a little more girlie than shooting guns.  I can’t say I love shooting and want to run right out and buy my own gun right now, but I will definitely go again.  Maybe my love for it will grow and one of my next shopping trips will be for my own firearm. You just never know if you like something until you try it.”

I hope these accounts have helped you consider taking up shooting if you don’t currently or get you pumped to see more women joining the ranks of Shooting Divas. If you are still hesitant to pick up a gun research your local ranges for classes and ladies nights, grab your gals and go. You won’t regret it!

Happy Shooting!
Elisa