As most know I recently bought my first gun. We have many family weapons but this one was one I picked just for me. It is a sweet little HK P2000 9mm and I got it for personal protection at home and out and plan to get my concealed weapons permit as soon as I can. Due to my guy and his career my ideal of living away from civilization is not one we can easily attain until we retire and our current locale is the worst one yet in terms of crime. Yuck!! So I have decided to take my protection and that of the girls seriously.
Most who know me well know I am a researcher and reader down to my soul so when I make my mind up about something I also do a ton of background research and try to get as prepared as possible. Since my decision was to carry a weapon on my body that meant researching the most comfortable ways to do that as well as safety concerns and such. I wanted a female perspective because, hey, I happen to be female. Women of Caliber, Girl's Guide to Guns, Armed Females of America, and Cornered Cat all had great info on safety, holsters, and anything else I may want to know. AFA is a bit outdated and I am not 100% behind the political side of it but the educational info was great. Girl's Guide is awesome. They cover everything from ammo to fashion with humor! Cornered Cat is very no nonsense and great at telling you all the options which I love. WoC is a personal favorite. She is LDS so the most similar to my values and very informative. She also has no problem interacting with her followers which is great. I love a personal touch.
So on to my contemplations, hehehe. In doing my research I found that women being open about firearm use was a heck of a lot smaller group than men. I also found that obviously that also meant that training, info, and gear for women was a lot harder to find. Add that I am a lefty and I am a super small category of girl. If you look at those who shoot and carry concealed you see it is a majorly male dominated field. Kellene of WoC is the highest NRA certified female instructor in the western states. She has the only place I have found aimed at teaching women by women even close to me and it is out of my state. I find that sad. The reason being that women are the biggest victim of violent crime and more would carry, I think, if taught by a women. I can only speak for myself, but I prefer to get my health care from other women. I prefer to buy my vehicles from other women. I am 5'4". Most everyone is taller than me. Especially men. My BIL calls me vertically challenged. When we are out I tend to stay close to my husband or BIL because they are bigger and stronger if something were to come up. I am going to take my CCW irregardless of the teacher because I am determined. I would not be surprised though if quite a few women had decided not to because of the nerves factor.
My considered undertaking is this. I am contemplating getting my NRA instructor certifications. Between the different men in my husband's family I am sure all of the weapon's I could be certified on are present and I could get my basic skills from them before taking my courses to qualify. My sweet guy said he knows I can do anything I put my mind to doing. My semi-chauvinistic BIL looked at me like I was bonkers. Part of the concern is that really my exposure to guns has been fairly minimal. I am comfortable with our .22 rifle and I am loving my 9mm but otherwise I haven't shot many of our other weapons. Part of that is a physical factor and one I have to strongly consider. My fibromyalgia means that certain weapons have a much more physical impact on me than they do on a "normal" person. The FMS coupled with being a lefty was why I didn't like the .40 I had and switched to the 9mm. The .22 is a rifle with not a lot of kick so it doesn't physically hurt me. I am sure in each category I could find calibers that would not hurt me but I could also be stuck with what is on hand and that could be hard on my body. Add that being an instructor means long hours standing, shooting, and moving and my FMS could once again get in the way. I love the idea as I think about it but the expense and the physical complications make me wonder. If I could do it I see some pretty amazing benefits for area women. This area has a major crime rate and if women had a women they could learn from I think more would take the opportunity to protect themselves.
Hum. I think I'd get real proficient with the weapon first and then see how the rest of the plan works out. I taught my wife to shoot after I married her, and my kids were both raised with regular training on the shotgun, pistol and rifle. I also drove them in excess of 100 miles round trip twice a week for years so they could train in martial arts. I think you are exactly right to get armed and get trained so you can protect yourself and your children. My wife had to stand to in preparation for fending off a bear trying to get in the house when the kids were just babies. I was gone to work out of the county, the bear came on the porch to eat the dog food, and a great battle ensued. Fortunately the dogs ran him off, but if he had tried to come through the door she could have settled him and saved herself and the kids. Good for you, stick with it.
ReplyDeleteOur next purchase will be a pair of shotguns. That is one area I still have no experience with. Santa brought a pink .22 for our eldest and that kid is a crack shot. She loves it. I want her to see that girls and shooting are a good fit which is another reason I have been even more enthusiastic lately. Also I have wanted a cause I think. Hubs hasn't been to thrilled with the thought of me volunteering with foster kids because he feels it would put me into unneeded risky situations. This felt like a cause with no risk. Afterall I would be in charge of multiple weapons haha. I agree I want a lot more proficiency with my chosen weapons!
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