You’ve read the articles, spoken to friends and family, and done your online digging. You may not quite be ready to try it or you may be pushing your way to the front of the line. Either way, you need to be armed with information.
The reality is, there are just as many stories about becoming a “gun girl” as there are female shooters. Your relationship with firearm is about you. It’s not about your dad or your husband, brother or even me. This is YOUR journey, but I and so many other female shooters are here to help. There are plenty of fantastic resources out there to help make your transition to becoming a life-long shooter incredibly easy, safe and fun. If you are even the slightest bit nervous, not to worry. There are countless ladies out there like you. Some have overcome some pretty awful experiences, trauma and fears. I’ve seen women (and men) with backgrounds ranging from their jerkface uncle making them shoot a way-too-powerful shotgun at way too young of an age, to women who grew up in war torn areas of the world overcome these experiences and truly enjoy shooting. If I could send one message it is to please please not let any negative experience deprive you of the empowerment and confidence that shooting in a safe, controlled environment can bring.
Take your time. And if you never get there, that’s alright, too. All I ask is that you educate yourself. Education is key in the firearms department and if the best you can do is to obtain knowledge, thereby power, then you are doing very important work. And I promise to make it easy on you.
So let’s get started, shall we? I had a little internal debate about which comes first: the safety rules or the gun. I chose the gun because we have computers in front of us right now rather than real guns and when you are familiar with the mechanics and properties of a firearm, all the rules will make more sense.
We will take this step by step. First, you learn what is going on inside the firearm as you shoot. Secondly, we will take a look at ammunition and follow up with the basic but critical rules of safety. Lastly, I will show you where to get more hands-on, practical knowledge from the top experts in the field.
Here are some of the basic mechanics of a semi auto handgun:
Same thing for the revolvers:
Watch these videos or any similar animated videos as many times as you need to. I find videos like these to be incredibly helpful for removing the X factor – the unknown. The reality is, when we know what’s going on in there, it is not so scary and we are empowered to learn more and even try it for ourselves.
You’ve seen the animation, now check out the live action version:
Now keep in mind that there are literally countless styles of guns and these videos simply give you specifics for these types (or platforms). But don’t worry – there is no need to be overwhelmed by that fact. The common guns that you will be dealing with may look a little different, but they will have the same basic properties as the guns used in these videos.
(Note: I will be making my own videos soon, so please hit me up with anything you’d like to see me specify or address as I make them.)
Now for the 4 Basic Safety Rules:
So if you are ready to take it to the next step, check out these posts to get you on your way:
Ammo: Handguns (Coming soon)
Be sure and post your questions below and we will answer them as soon as possible in the Ask Natalie section.
