Need some Help!!!

[rabywk]

Ok, last night while talking to my wife she dropped a challenge to me. So I am here to ask for some help, especially from any of the women out there.

My wife wants me to organize an event at our local gun club to help promote shooting to female shooters. Now the question is what or how do I do this. We have a large clubhouse that also has kitchen facilities, indoor range, outdoor range, trap, and skeet.

I was thinking of organizing an event that was on a Saturday that would have things women like, Avon, Stampin' Up, all those types of things in the club house along with free coffee and hot chocolate.

Along with this little get together we would have all of our ranges open for women to try shooting different firearms free of charge. They would run though a quick 5 minute range safety briefing and then could walk up to any station and get one on one training on the firearm and let them shoot 5-10 rounds through it if they want. This way they could get a wide variety of guns to choose from and see other women out there doing it.

I would also contact the Women's organization of the NRA and see if I could get a booth for them also. Do you guys/gals have any ideas about the above or anything else???

Please help me on this one. It would be a great excuse to have to go out and buy another gun too. Most of my stuff is large caliber and I only have one 9mm, so another one would really come in handy.

 

[DrDavidM]

Great idea. My wife suggested having someone there with those quilted purse thingys. I think she said they were Fay Bradley. She also suggested if you could find a woman to talk with them who had been a victim of a crime. Also, she said if you could get a representative from a manufacturer that makes guns marketed for women that might help. Hope this might help.
My experience is if you can get them to try shooting they will enjoy it. My wife had never fired a gun a year ago. I got her shooting. Now she has her pistol permit. . I also have my friends wife wanting to shoot some of my pistols. (He took her dove hunting with a 22 and she enjoyed it. She put the bullets throught their neck to keep from messing up the meat.).
Long story short, I think anything you do to get them to fire a gun is a great thing.

Good Luck.

 

[Ziggy]

Women

I would ditch the 5 minute range safety meeting, and replace it with a half hour or hour long lecture on self defense shooting, concealed carry, the law, and the BASICS of guns, along with range safety.
You're going to attract a lot of women who have never held a gun in their life, and are afraid of them. Give them a primer in how guns work, what the parts are, let them handle lots of unloaded ones of all types/sizes and get comfortable with them before the one on one on the range. Encourage them to take their first few shots with a .22. Teach them proper stance BEFORE hitting the range, and prepare them for recoil and noise.
The first experience with firearms can make or break a lifetime love/fear. Make them comfortable before they ever hold a loaded gun. Teach them to load (without putting the bullets in backwards) how to rack the slide and keep their fingers away from the slide while firing, that the slide will automatically reset itself (we had one rack the slide after every shot). Basic, basic, basic.

 

[rabywk]

I would ditch the 5 minute range safety meeting, and replace it with a half hour or hour long lecture on self defense shooting, concealed carry, the law, and the BASICS of guns, along with range safety.
You're going to attract a lot of women who have never held a gun in their life, and are afraid of them. Give them a primer in how guns work, what the parts are, let them handle lots of unloaded ones of all types/sizes and get comfortable with them before the one on one on the range. Encourage them to take their first few shots with a .22. Teach them proper stance BEFORE hitting the range, and prepare them for recoil and noise.
The first experience with firearms can make or break a lifetime love/fear. Make them comfortable before they ever hold a loaded gun. Teach them to load (without putting the bullets in backwards) how to rack the slide and keep their fingers away from the slide while firing, that the slide will automatically reset itself (we had one rack the slide after every shot). Basic, basic, basic.

This would be an all day event. So when they walk up to a table they are going to get one-on-one instruction from the person manning the table. I guess instead of the 5 minute thing I could schedule in a 30 minute class every 2 hours or so.

 

[Ziggy]

Wimminz

This would be an all day event. So when they walk up to a table they are going to get one-on-one instruction from the person manning the table. I guess instead of the 5 minute thing I could schedule in a 30 minute class every 2 hours or so.

That whole mess I mentioned can be done briefly in about 20 minutes, with a time period afterward for the women who would like to handle the guns having the chance to do so. I think doing that every 2 hours or so sounds great...then the women who have fired before can take advantage of the opportunity to try out different guns and get tips from the one on one (without listening to things they already know), and the newbies can attend the lecture.

Our local range did this with a high fee attached to it, and had a darned good turn out. Advertise! I'll bet you can drum up interest in advertising/contributing from the folks who teach CCW classes in your area.

I just can't stress enough, though, that you're likely to have a lot of ladies who have never touched a gun and find them frightening. Patience and education is the cure! And kudos for putting such a thing together.

 

[1911 Bubba]

Try a simple handgun course for women!

When I was a LEO, and the Firearms Instructor, I got the Police Union to sponsor a "Handgun Course for Women". We basically gave them an 8 hour course covering familiarization with different types of handguns, ammo, and some basic legal stuff about carry on person, in vehicle, around the home. We kept the class relaxed and non-intimidating. Some basic tactics, like keeping your cell phone with you, flashlight, what to do with the kids, etc. and of course the basics of marksmanship. We then took them to the range, and had several coaches in uniform show up to give them individual attention at the range. We had a few extra guns for them to try, and asked them to bring their own guns to the range with ammo. Our first class had 30 women show up. The second class we had to limit to 30 and a waiting list of 30-40. We then started doing the classroom phase on an evening, then had a range day on saturday, with a pot luck or picnic lunch and later the guys in the union sponsored a Bar b que at the range. We gave a little basic certificate, and got rave reviews. They were writing about it in the newspaper, on the radio, and women were calling about the class everyday. There are alot of women out there who have a gun or are thinking about getting one, but they need a confidence builder. We tried to expand to shotgun or rifle, along with hunting, recreational type stuff, but they mostly wanted defensive handgun oriented classes. In addition we signed up hundreds of new NRA members and showed them the different magazines with membership, etc. Now, go get 'em.

 

[burley]

Some of the ladies at ksccw.com are having a ladies shoot on a regular bassis.
Link Removed
Ya might talk to Hazel over there.

 

[kwo51]

Have you looked for a second ammendment sisters in your area,and fail to be a victim. Get lots of support from gun stores and coronado leather makes real neat purses for our gals what carry.

 

[The Shadow]

If you have never done this before

Idea wise this is good but who will conduct it and how many ladies can you handle at a time?

I would recommend one discipline at a time, starting with Handguns. Dividing revolvers and pistols up to one style in the morning the other in the afternoon, rifles one week and shotguns another.

You need an idea on how many volunteers will be needed.

You also need to plan on how many students you can handle at one time.

As you can see a lot of planning is involved, but don't let that stop you.

Plan wisely and you will land a good portion to the cause.

 

[boris]

good idea!!!

presentation on safety, self defense, the law , types of weapon with slides....no, wait.... power point, videos , and let 'em shoot as you have said. and to The Shadow........" the weed of crime bears bitter fruit......!" AHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!