Miguel slaps it out of the park.
I don’t see women getting into Action Shooting competition in a big way, but I do see a surge in defensive training tailored for them. I am sorry to say most guys are expecting and even demanding that women play by our rules: I got news, they are writing their own rules and the do not include them rolling on the mud every other weekend against us and calling it fun. Pragmatism will be key for women but pragmatism according to their lifestyles and not some Tactical Tommy idea on how they should behave/act/shoot. It will be more Mommy with a Glock that Femme Nikita.
And at the risk of sounding absolutely vulgar, our lack of vagina ownership will keep us guessing what they need. If we are smart, we will shut up, listen, just give them what they want, babysit the kids upon demand and get the hell out of the way.
Women are getting into shooting and gun ownership in record levels. Anybody who’s taught women how to shoot often note that they take to shooting MUCH better than men. The reason, as far as I can tell is they come into shooting as an outsider looking in, which when you look at it is more realistic, and the big problem with male new shooters. Boys grow up pointing sticks at each other and going “Pew Pew!”, and watching action stars blazing away in full-auto fired from the hip or point-shooting pistols without even a body index and doing crazy things like plopping a round equidistant from the badguy’s eyeballs…or making trick shots to kneecaps or pulling a gun from the villain’s shooting hand. Also rarely do you see a missed shot hit a civilian if the shooter wears the proverbial “White Hat”.
What I’m saying is the difference between men new shooters and women new shooters is that while both of them know effectively nothing about deploying a gun, the men THINK they know a thing-or-two. This gives women a superior advantage as they’re learning what you teach them, not what they think they already know.
Still women look at life differently, when you look at video games you see men more attracted to the violent shoot-em-ups an games where completion and conquering are the goal, while most of the female gamers I know like puzzle games, and social games where the game being played is more important than the end goal.
I certainly don’t see those two models (that are simply models, not rules, I know lots of ladies that Play Modern Warfare, strategy games, and poker, were “Victory” is the end-goal…I just know more who play Tetris and Angry Birds and never once let me know how high a level they get to, or their high score, because such things are irrelevant) Action shooting, and High-Power aren’t really designed for them.
Also given their smaller size, the fact that as adults they sadly almost corner the market in sexual assault, self-defense is really their way to go.
And Miguel is 100% right, as Men we can say and do, and speculate all we want, but the women will be the best judge at what a “Woman’s Gun” is. Many have pointed out the pure fiction of the snub-nosed .38 for women, and my own wife, while addicted to the color purple, says that even if the market switched to coloring guns purple rather than pink, she still only likes guns that are silver or black in color…and even thinks my Scandium Commander with Rosewood grips is “Ugly”, and would rather it have the black grips my stainless gun has on them as far as looks go. Also despite sexist stupidity a lot of women like .45 ACP for the same reason Men do, it gives a LOT of power for a surprisingly soft recoil.
So as gun-nut men our Job is to get women into shooting, and familiar with guns, and over any fears they may have…and then get the hell out of the way and let them show us what they want in a gun, and just be there to answer questions and facilitate sales.
2012, the Year of the Dragon Lady.
