Alice Jones Webb on Women and Shooting

There was a time this line of questioning was fairly common. Maybe I've just become too reclusive in my old age. From Take It Outside: So You Want Your Girlfriend to Like Guns

This is an article by Alice Jones Webb from a few years back, that is no longer on the original website where it was published. She thought it would be worth rescuing it from oblivion.

For those of you who don't know, Alice Jones Webb has written for Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Hook & Barrel, MeatEater, Free Range American, Recoil, and other outdoor publications. She describes herself as "a professional outdoor writer, solo hunter, muddy-boots homesteader, and unapologetic conservationist."

Do you love guns? Do you love your girlfriend? Do you wish your girlfriend loved guns?

Don’t despair. There are a few things you can do to turn your girl on to shooting.

While I’m not typically one to give relationship advice, I am one to regularly give shooting advice.

There are variations on some of the advice I used to give.

One is enroll her in a class. While men usually do love their wives and partners, they are not usually the best person to be teaching them about shooting. Too much baggage from the relationship. When I was teaching NRA classes we usually "discouraged" husbands and wives from sitting together for similar reasons.

Another is let her select her own firearm. A gun needs to fit your hand, the way your shoes fit your feet. A grip that is comfortable for you, might not be comfortable for her.

Here is probably the best piece of advice.

Make Her First Experience a Good One

If you want your girlfriend to love shooting, you need to do everything within your power to prevent a bad first experience. This is especially true if she’s never fired a weapon in her entire life.

Think about shooting with your girlfriend like your first date. If that first romantic encounter had gone south, you wouldn’t have had the opportunity for a second.

The same is true of shooting. You want to woo her with that first trigger pull. If it isn’t enjoyable, she probably won’t be making a second trip with you to the range.

When I was teaching people to shoot, I had access to a .22 short Beretta pistol. It was a small gun, but it was solid metal. The .22 short ammo resulted in virtually no recoil. For that first shot, or first magazine, it didn't really scare anyone too much or seem overwhelming. Usually the first trip to the range was some basic safety instruction, and fundamentals of shooting, but then it was mostly trying various caliber firearms to see what they were comfortable with, starting very small and working up. And since most indoor ranges today have some rental firearms, we could make sure that the grip issue was addressed.

I have seen too many women handed a .44 snubbie, either because someone thought it would be funny, or because they believe it is the best firearm ever manufactured. I routinely shoot a .357 Magnum revolver, but I don't enjoy shooting .44 special out of a short barrel, let alone .44 Magnum. Sometimes it is a brother/cousin looking for a laugh. Those guys are idiots, but the sisters know that. Sometimes not. The result is the same.

Don't be that guy, not even toward your sister.

So. Do you want the women in your life to be able to defend themselves, their children, and others? Do you want to occasionally take them to the range? Or do you want a quick laugh, and a long argument?

There is much more more. click thru.