Let Me Tell You How You Feel

The Wifey has come a long way as a gun owner and shooter. When we were dating, she told me that there would never be guns in her home. Now, she owns multiple firearms. She wants to get her CHL. I made a gunnie! W00t!

I can look back now and see successes and mistakes that I made along the way. One of the things I remember is helping her steer clear of bad advice. I don't know all, and knew even less then, but I knew bad advice when I heard it. When 9mm is a plinking round but a .40 hits like a truck, it's time to head to another gun store.

All these things in mind led to her first time at the shooting range. We rented, and she fired as her first handgun ever, a Beretta 92FS. Good thing, too, because if she had followed advice that she - along with a few other gunchicks - have heard before, her first time at the firing range could have easily been her last. Believe me, I know. Since I improperly instructed her on the finer points of shotgun firing, she wants nothing to do with the Mossberg we bought her. It's going to take a long time and a lot of convincing to correct that, and she's been shooting for 8 or 9 years now. God forbid had something like that happened on her first range trip.

Ultra-lightweight .38 snubbies fit a very specific need. From what I've heard, by actually listening to the women when words come from them (it's not just noise. Srsly. Try it. You'd be surprised), that need is not What Gun For First-Time Female Shooter. Resulting from the experience of listening to women instead of categorizing them and making decisions for them, I tell women who show interest in guns to walk away when someone tells them they need a .38 snubbie. I always make sure to follow that up with an all-expenses-paid trip to the range, where a .22 autoloader and a stainless 92FS (minimum; more if I can) are in their future.



tweaker