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Women on Target: Preparing women to defend Liberty
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The United Kingdom and Australia instituted gun bans in 1997. Between 1995 and 2006, women in the United Kingdom suffered a 76.5% increase in rape; by 2007 Australian women experienced a 29.9% increase. Meanwhile, rape decreased 19.1% in America.*
Today, women are raped twice as often in the UK as America, and Australian women are raped three times as often. This is damning evidence that gun control may place women at greater risk. American women are hearing this message, and more and more are arming themselves every day, not only to protect themselves and their families from harm, but to ensure our government doesn’t enact laws which disenfranchise women.
In support of this effort, the National Rifle Association developed the Women on Target (WOT) program to introduce women to shooting sports in a safe and fun manner. Yesterday, 61 women participated in WOT at the American Shooting Center in Houston, Texas, hosted by the Houston Daughters of Liberty.
Beth Hellmann, Program Coordinator for NRA Women’s Programs, was a WOT clinic coordinator for 5 years at her gun club before joining NRA headquarters and has run the WOT program since its inception. She has seen WOT grow from just 13 clinics in the first year to over 200 clinics annually, and says that 2009 looks like another record breaking year. Clinic directors report that classes are filling up months in advance, and often add clinics to accommodate demand. The WOT program is on track to teach over 8,000 women this year, breaking last year’s record of 7,250 students and 240 clinics. By mid-June of this year, 232 clinics are already registered.
Beth started her career in shooting instruction when her son wanted to join the high school rifle team. She was surprised that the school even had a rifle team in this “civilized” era, but grew up in a shooting family, so she was amenable. She asked the coaches if they needed any help, figuring that being a woman they would have her bake brownies for fund raisers or something along those “traditional” lines. Instead, they invited her to become a rifle instructor and then get her coaching credentials. Now, she is a national leader in bringing women into shooting sports, changing the face of the shooting community to one that is family-friendly and mainstream America.
At Monday’s event, 61 women braved the Houston heat and had an opportunity to learn how to shoot rifles, shotguns and pistols. After a range safety briefing by Deb Wardlaw, TSRA Director of Women in Shooting Sports, women divided into three groups, each one receiving instruction in one of the disciplines.
(Deb Wardlaw, TSRA Director of Women in Shooting Sports, taught range safety. The class emphasized that the best way to have fun was to be safe at all times.)
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(Learning to shoot a rifle while resting it on the bench is an excellent place to start for beginning shooters who are uncomfortable around firearms.)
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(Personal instruction enables students to feel much more comfortable firing a shotgun.)
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(Penny Uselton did an amazing job organizing the event, from hiring the shooting center as the host site, to signing up students, to finding rifle, shotgun, and pistol instructors.)
(Ray Neely, member of the Board of Directors for the Texas State Rifle Association, teaching a student handgun skills.)
(Water, provided by state Senator Dan Patrick, was available everywhere, and women were encouraged to drink as much as they pleased.)
Response was positive, with students asking for tips on buying a firearm, additional training, and how to qualify for a concealed handgun license. Some women inquired about joining the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association, and a couple asked about becoming instructors.
The next generation of Liberty champions will be born to women like these.
* Rape data compiled from government sources. Email request for Excel spreadsheet.
(All photos by Sharon Slover.)
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For in-depth analysis of the issues surrounding gun control, read Four Hundred Years of Gun Control: Why Isn’t It Working?, which deconstructs the gun control agenda and motivates more people to support our civil right of self-defense.
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- Atlanta: Armed customer stops robbery
- Austin: Does Concealed Carry Support Law Enforcement?
- Boston: Derrick Z. Jackson’s hot air, will Obama listen?
- Charlotte: The gun debate (explained for liberals)
- Cleveland: Truth hurts gun control agenda
- DC: How would Churchill vote in Virginia's Democratic primary for Governor on Tuesday?
- Denver: Holocaust Museum shooting short-circuited by a gun
- Los Angeles: Pocket knife ban models the gun control formula.
- Minneapolis: Dirty Deeds in Virginia
- National: What could 'hate crime' bill mean for gun owners?
- Seattle: Political hypocrisy and social bigotry swirling around edges of PrideFest
- St. Louis: When gun bans are not enough--the war on . . . pocket knives?
- Wisconsin: Gun rights advocates make progress
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