Since the very beginning of our company, Lethal Lovebirds LLC has specialized in firearms training for women. Our first ladies-only classes began in 2015. We have learned so much about training through our professional experiences by working with women and children. The past weekend we were on the range for a class and I observed a few things I wanted to address in this blog post. I feel that they are really relevant to the work that we do in our concealed carry classes for Oregon and Utah, but also the range-type training that we provide. Guns can be scary; they can be intimidating. This is a completely normal reaction to a topic that we are unfamiliar with or have never learned about. As a training company, we strive to make the experience safe and comfortable for ALL who are in attendance at all of our classes. When people feel more comfortable, it makes it easier to understand the instructions. Also when people aren’t afraid, the likelihood of an accident decreases dramatically.
We see quite often that husbands go into their local gun shop with the idea of buying their wives a handgun that they could use for personal protection. This is well-intentioned but in reality, they buy a gun that fits “their” hands and to “their” specifications. While this may sound like a good idea, we highly recommend that your wife be involved with the purchase. If you buy a firearm that works for you chances are that it won’t work for her. If it isn’t comfortable in her hands, she will not want to train with it. If she does NOT train with it, she will not want to carry it concealed. Body types, and grip strength, are a few physical differences between men and women. We believe that part of the empowerment process is that the wife be part of the buying process. There are a few gun stores locally that we do recommend, that are good to women. We highly recommend the Ace Buyers in Springfield, they have an attentive staff and treat ladies well.
In our beginning Women’s Firearm Training classes, we do have rental guns available. This is a great option for the ladies who don’t already have a firearm of their own. This will give her the option to demo many different handguns that are related to concealed carry before she buys one. This is all part of the empowerment process. Once she has a gun picked out for training she will start to become more comfortable with it through training. The training creates good, safe habits that are very beneficial to responsible gun ownership. Once she feels more comfortable, you now have a range partner, I know this is what most look forward to. This is why as men, we tend to be so excited about packing everything up for the range for our significant others. My advice husbands, take a deep breath, relax, and set your wife up for success. Let her lead you at HER pace throughout this process. Trust me her, there will be time for you both to enjoy the range together once she is up to speed. You can thank me later, lol.
Once she has her gun for training, she can learn the ins and outs of her firearm. A good goal to set is being able to maintain the gun on her own. This is a great way for her to understand its different parts, and how they work inside the gun, but also helps her understand the importance of maintenance on the tool that her life depends on. While we do encourage everyone to responsibly carry a gun concealed anywhere they can legally while in public. I view this as a deterrent to violence, not the thought that we are looking for a person to shoot. Our guns, on our person, being concealed for personal protection are for defensive purposes ONLY, period! Developing the right mindset for this comes through proper training. I carry a gun everywhere that I can go responsibly as a deterrent. The deterrent is to prevent a criminal from imposing their will upon me and putting my safety and the safety of others at risk. It is really that simple, it is primal, and it is important. If we look at the data, the data will support that a lady would have a higher rate of violence perpetrated against her than me. That is mostly because criminals prefer softer targets. It is our goal as a training company that help you become that hard target through training because your safety is our priority. Until next time. Be safe!