Annie Oakley is Alive and Well

Last Friday night, I had the honor of being the guest speaker at a chapter meeting of “The Well Armed Women”.  This national organization is focused on being the complete resource for the gun owning woman. I honestly could not be more impressed with this group. I was surprised to learn that there are 12 chapters currently in Colorado alone—and one of the largest in Loveland Colorado.

With roughly 60 women attending, the topic was home defense. I would be hard-pressed to define for you what the ‘typical’ well armed woman looked like. The group was very diverse, and it was clear that these women came from all walks of life.  I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the members who informed me that she had recently retired, and had fired a gun for the first time EVER only a couple weeks earlier. It is no secret that women are the fastest growing demographic of gun owners in America…and have been for some time.

I was invited to stick around after, and see the ladies take the range and work through firing drills. The group is really well organized and they have developed several RSO’s and instructors within the chapter. Of course with that many participating, some were working on basic skills and some were shooting quite advanced…but they were all having a great time and encouraging each other.  (Not the good natured smack talking and affectionate heckling that 60 guys would have produced!!)

I am glad to see the firearms industry taking notice, and starting to adjust the focus to some of the unique requirements that women have. Yes…there are now pink and purple handguns, but I am talking about physical things that matter. Grip size, spring rates, magazine loading, length of pull…physical things that make a huge difference to the shooter. As instructors…we need to take notice also. 10 years ago I would see 1 or 2 women in a class occasionally. Next weekend, we will be doing a “Girls and Guns” CCW class…for women ONLY, and it is sold out. When we instruct, relating to the audience is crucial to getting the message across. Quoting Dirty Harry or demo’ing the latest ‘tacti-cool’ hardware is going to miss the mark.

Are you looking for a partner to go shooting with more often? SHE might be right next to you! Your wife, daughter, sister, even your Mom or Grandmother, encourage them to check out a local chapter of “The Well Armed Woman”.

Michael Lang