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64By Serena Wood

Allow me to preface this article by explainingthat for the sake of simplicity, I have writtenadvice directed towards a man who wants to gethis girlfriend or wife to shoot with him. However,most of it can be applied to any situation inwhich a gun person wants to get a non-gun per-son involved in shooting.

It seems there are plenty of men who wouldenjoy having their significant others accompanythem to the range. I’ve even received emails frompeople who have read my articles and want toknow how they can convince their wife or girl-friend to start shooting. It’s natural to want toshare your love of shooting with someone special,and it’s a great activity to enjoy together. Plus, ifyour girlfriend or wife chooses to carry con-cealed, it can be verycomforting to knowyour loved one will bebetter able to protectherself. Even if youcarry a weapon whilethe two of you are out,there’s always a chanceyou could becomeincapacitated. Havingtwo capable peoplearmed will improveyour chances of sur-vival. Finally, I’m suremost of the guys will agree with me when I say itcan be quite appealing to watch your lovely ladypick up a gun and shoot.

First off, keep in mind that you can never“make” her shoot, and that trying to push herinto it is only going to make it worse. If for somereason she doesn’t want to get into shooting, lether know she’s always welcome to change hermind, then drop the subject. Assuming that’s notthe case with your lady, though, how do you goabout getting your girlfriend to pull the trigger?The answer to that will depend on how shefeels. Some women are going to be eager tojump in and start shooting, while others may bea bit more timid and need some time to getcomfortable with the idea.

You can start out by taking her to the rangewith you so she can get used to the sights,sounds, and smells of shooting. After watchingyou shoot she may want a turn; if she wants tobe involved, but isn’t yet ready to shoot, she canalways help you reload magazines or change tar-gets. You can also start by having her handle a(verified unloaded) gun and begin teaching herabout gun safety. This would be a good time topoint out various parts of the gun and explainhow they function (assuming she doesn’t alreadyknow). The more familiar she becomes withfirearms in the beginning, the more she canrelax and enjoy shooting.

When she’s ready to start shooting, don’t beinsulted if she’d rather take classes from aninstructor than from you. It’s not that she doesn’ttrust you or doesn’t want your input; she may sim-ply feel uncomfortable bringing student/teacherdynamics into the relationship, which can causetension. She may also be a bit intimidated or inse-cure about her lack of experience, especially ifyou’re an accomplished shooter. In that case, youcan help her find a qualified instructor nearby.Some women prefer an all-female environment;luckily, there are many women-only classes whereshe may feel more comfortable.

If she does want you to teach her, be support-ive and encourage her as she makes progress.Don’t make trips to the range a chore or a duty;try to keep it as enjoyable as possible. Try to take

her to the range whenit’s not too crowded;having a large crowdof people around canbe a bit nerve-wrack-ing for a new shooter.Your local range mayeven offer privaterentals so the two ofyou can have the rangeto yourselves.

If she decides gunsaren’t for her, don’ttake it personally. At

least she gave it a shot (no pun intended). On theother hand, perhaps your honey will enjoy shoot-ing so much that she will want to buy a gun forherself. Congratulations – you’ve turned her intoone of us! While she’ll probably appreciate yourhelp when selecting a gun, keep in mind thatwhat you want may not be what she wants. Youmight envision her with a full-size 1911, but shemay feel more comfortable with a compact 9mmpistol or even a small revolver. The bottom line isthat she will be the one shooting it, so she needsto buy a gun that is comfortable for her to shootand, if she’s going to carry the weapon, easy forher to conceal.

On that note, if she enjoys shooting with youon the weekends but has no desire to carry, thereis nothing you can do to change her mind. Shemay not have come to terms with the idea ofusing deadly force if necessary, or there may beanother reason she doesn’t want to carry. Eitherway, pressuring her to carry a gun won’t help andcould actually harm your relationship.

Regardless of her feelings about concealedcarry, taking trips to the range together can be anenjoyable activity for the two of you that canbecome a life-long hobby. She may want to obtainmore advanced instruction as she progresses, andshe could even take up competitive shooting atsome point. Just be careful – she might turn out tobe the better shooter!

How to Get Your Girlfriend to ShootHow to Get Your Girlfriend to Shoot

June 10 Blue Press Section 4 4/13/10 8:44 AM Page 64