Another Woman New To The World Of Guns

The other day I got an email from a woman who wanted to enter the Give-A-Way and along with her information she included a little bit about why she decided to enter.  This is what she wrote...

I have already got my class picked out if I win! There is a group called CA Gun Girls who have their own office on my local range's property, and I would love some training from them!

Thank you for what you do. I'm so sorry that you had to go through a traumatic experience; I wish you could have gotten into guns without a perpetrator being involved. I'm new to guns, but just got there because of a disturbing new story involving two bad guys with a hunting knife, and one determined mom with a pistol and a newborn to protect. (Her 20-something husband had died only days earlier of cancer, and these jerks were ramming down her door to presumably steal his pain mess.) She successfully killed one and the other fled. But what would I do? Be left a victim. Nope. So I took the basic NRA class and want to keep going! As you can see from my address, I live in a gun-hostile state. I cannot even get my dream gun - Glock 19, Gen 4, bec they only allow the Gen 3s. I cannot carry concealed because I have no "reason" to. So, I am pretty limited but want to learn anyway. Because in the next few years my husband will be moving on to the next rung on the ladder of his career, and maybe, just maybe, we will end up in red state!

I loved that she was being proactive in her life, so I asked her if I could share her story.  I think it's great when a woman takes control and does something to prepare herself before the bad guy has a chance to strike.  She said sure I could share and then sent me an email she sent to The Cornered Cat.  It adds a little more to her story.


Dear Kathy,

I just discovered you 2 days ago and I feel like I owe you so much! Your wonderful, wonderful site has addressed every imaginable concern a woman could have regarding the proper safety/care/use of firearms. Couple that with masterful writing (and impeccable grammar, which is probably my love language) and you have THE most valuable site online for your audience.

Just the night before I discovered the Cornered Cat, I forced my husband to listen to me ruminate once again about all the reasons I was afraid to "pull the trigger" and get that Glock. He has no aversion to me owning and practicing with a firearm - he was raised on a farm in Minnesota and shot/hunted with the men in his family. It is ME who needs convincing that I should be trusted with such a responsibility.

I grew up in rural North Dakota where guns are part of life. Somehow, I managed to avoid exposure to them while my dad and siblings went hunting with rifles and shotguns and took classes called "Hunter Safety." My friends and their families all hunted with guns, I had access to friends' farms had I the notion to learn and practice, and my high school boyfriend's dad was a gunsmith - just think of how rich my early education could have been! But no. Instead, I find myself in my early 30s just beginning to learn about all things handguns.

My sister and I had been wanting CC permits for some time. We married men whose jobs took us far from our the safe land of North Dakota, where keys are left in the ignition and homes are never locked. My sister is on the east coast, and I find myself on the west coast. Our cities are very different from the town of 300 we knew and loved. When this story broke around New Year's this year was the final straw for us. http://www.kfor.com/news/kfor-blanchard-woman-shoots-and-kills-intruder-20120101,0,2752550.story. This amazing young woman said something that reverberated through me - "There is nothing more dangerous than a mom with a baby." She's right. I am a law-abiding citizen who would not even be intentionally rude...but all that goes right out the window if I think you are after my child.
 
Having wanted to learn about handguns, married to a very busy man and wanting an effective way to protect myself and my little sons, I knew then that it was time to enroll in class. But I was scared because I thought, "You know, if you don't grow up using guns, you probably shouldn't try to learn later in life. How can you really catch up? No patriarch to guide you, you must trust the stranger teaching the class and hope you digest all the vital information from the textbook." But I did it because I figured if I didn't want to continue with it, at least I'd be richer for the experience. I'm so glad I just made myself do it. That NRA Basic Pistol class was lots of fun. And it made me think, "I like it! I can do this."


I came home, threw myself online and started to learn all that I could. Then I got scared again; there were terms I had never encountered, freak accidents being reported, and naysayers that thought women should leave the guns to men. I'm a registered nurse who spent time working in an ER; I have seen what bullets do to human flesh. I have 5 and 3 year old boys; I live in a town home - would I be able to even use my gun without fear of hurting my sons or my neighbors? I had gone from being so excited to learn something new (I'm presently a stay at home mom, and I rarely am away from the kids) to feeling foolish for entertaining such wild notions about range practice and having a lethal weapon around. I felt guilty about spending the extra money, or for knowing I'd need to be away from my family to practice at the range (no way am I bringing them there if I want to get any shooting done). I made myself sign up for the next class so I couldn't quit out of fear, and then began badgering my husband about whether I should have a gun or not.

I felt such sweet relief when I began to read the Cornered Cat's content. Here was a site that understood how I felt and the challenges that I was encountering! Turns out, being a woman who has children and who is a novice does not mean that she does not deserve to learn about and practice with firearms! I was scared to carry before, but I now think that would be a very good option for me in the future, after further study and experience. I cannot carry right now, because my county forbids it for almost everyone. One has to appear before a judge and state the reason one needs to carry. It is so specific; one man I know, who carries tens of thousands of dollars on his person could not obtain one because he doesn't also carry jewels! We don't plan to live here for more than a couple of years, but the next place I live will hopefully allow CC.





How cool is she?  Now, she didn't win the contest, but I hope she will get some training anyway.  Feel free to offer her words of praise and encouragement.