Meet Karla, just another amazing gun girl giving back to her community by helping women feel beautiful and confident inside and out. I just love this story. Karla sounds like one cook chick and I think she is a perfect example of women all over the country who love their guns as much as they love being girlie.  Now if only we could find a salon/range combo…

Concealed carry instructor puts safety first

By: Ashley Halladay, New Richmond News

By day Karla Gilbertson, owner of Attitudes Salon in Hammond, helps people gain confidence in their appearance. By night she helps individuals gain knowledge and confidence with their safety.

Gilbertson’s goal as a salon owner and a concealed carry instructor are similar.

“What I do here at the salon is make people aware of their beauty, I make them confident. I don’t want a woman walking down the street self-conscious and scared. Do you think that she’s going to be more of a target than the woman who’s walking down the street holding her head high because she knows she’s beautiful?” Gilbertson asked. “That’s how they tie together. It’s self-awareness and self-confidence.”

Gilbertson has been around guns her entire life, and she says the concealed carry law is long overdue.

Safety and confidence have always been important to the spunky stylist; she even started her own online educational resource called “God, Guns and Lip gloss” to empower women to take control of their personal safety, security and well-being.

In addition to the website she teaches a non-weapon National Rifle Association class called “Refuse to be a Victim,” which educates individuals about situational awareness.

Gilbertson branched out from her women’s safety resources into handgun safety and certification.

Gilbertson is American Association of Certified Firearms Instructors (AACFI) and National Rifle Association (NRA) certified. She said she’s also working to gain additional certifications.

Along with her dad, Larry, Gilbertson teaches introduction to handguns, Wisconsin permit to carry, Minnesota permit to carry and a Wisconsin and Minnesota combination permit to carry course.

Although she’s been shooting guns since age 12, Gilbertson says her dad is the handgun expert.

“My dad has been active in shooting sports for my entire life. He has been a hunter safety instructor for more 30 years and is a range safety officer. We have a lot of stuff to bring to the table,” she said. “I mainly handle the delivery and do the teaching portion. My dad does the shooting qualifications and gun talks.”

Gilbertson says the concealed carry classes aren’t for the faint of heart.

Read more: https://www.newrichmond-news.com/event/article/id/34363/

**For more information about the Gilbertson’s safety and permit classes, call 715-977-2267 or email [email protected] .