For the past twelve years, I have been living and providing firearms training to civilians in the Las Vegas, NV area.
Las Vegas is unique in so many ways. One of those areas is the abundance of jobs for women. The only “war on women” in Las Vegas is from the criminal element! Unfortunately, some jobs that are offered to women in LV many times leave them exposed to unwelcome behavior. And because sex sells in Las Vegas, working, striving women are unduly targeted by creeps intent on aggressive advances.
So, Las Vegas is a leader in sexual assaults, stalking, Temporary Protective Order (TPO), divorce, child stealing, and vice related (drugs, prostitution) crimes. And because all of Nevada took an exceptional hit from the housing collapse, the building trades and associated businesses have been decimated. That meant more unemployment and more property crimes.
Because of this city’s vast female entertainment job core, many of my clients are single women or women singled out.
Now ladies, here are some of my personal observations. In almost every concealed weapons class I’ve conducted in the past 25 years, women have been the better shooters! I have coined a prophecy for men. “Men, you can’t successfully teach your girlfriend, fiancée or spouse to shoot, drive or play golf!” You know it’s true. They feel that they must be given direction by an instructor who is recognized as someone who has knowledge beyond yours.
I find these results to be grounded in a true interest to learn to protect themselves and their children. Some of these female clients have gone on to become serious shooting competitors, police officers, armed guards, executive protection agents (body guards) and badass Moms! I’m so proud of my female clients. They are truly motivated and serious when it comes to firearms.
Some female spouses, however, are hard over about NO guns in the house. This reaction often seems to come from having young children present. Other ladies just don’t like guns. No explanation. They just don’t like guns.
So, one of my techniques that I have developed over the years is to give a homework assignment to the husband that consists of making a survival plan for the home in case of home invasion, burglary (while someone is in the home), or come home to open doors. The key to the assignment is to have all members of the family, sans small children, involved in creating the survival plan.
This task enlists the input of the wife or girlfriend, who first acknowledges a potential threat, then helps to come up with a good viable safety plan. This method of “buy in” is effective and again lends itself to my favorite subject of all times, FIREARMS TRAINING!
Because I am an old firearms trainer, a student of police involved shootings, an expert witness in the use of firearms and the father of three wonderful women, I believe that training with whatever tool you decide to use to protect yourself and those around you will have a direct correlation with your ultimate survival.
Just a few pointers for your consideration:
- Never carry a weapon (gun) that you have not personally shot and checked out.
- Never carry a new magazine w/o shooting through your gun first. This goes for all lifesaving equipment.
- Don’t search your own house during an invasion. If you can see to get around, the bad guy can also see you. Set an ambush and stay put!
- Give more attention to training with the gear you now have. Find its attributes.
- Develop your “warrior spirit”.
- Clean weapons for two distinct reasons; clean it- so no misfires due to residue. Inspect it- it may have broken w/o failing while you were shooting.
I sincerely hope this information adds to your endeavor to keep you and yours safer.
A great article. You know, I thought that a conceal carry class would teach me how to handle a firearm. Boy was I wrong. The conceal carry class should be the beginning of training – to learn the rules – not the end point. Everyone needs very good training. Personally, I love the IDPA. (idpa.com) They call it a competition, but really, it’s only a competition with yourself to impove. You can go and just watch the first time, if you like. Much better practice than just shooting at still targets.
Good article.
Being the middle girl of his 3 “wonderful woman”, I am proud to see that all of his drills and lessons we had as kids, is making a difference in the safety of other people and families. My Dad taught me more then respect for firarms and how to survive anything. He taught me how to be a warrior.
Kara,
How WONDERFUL to hear positives from one who had to grow up with this stuff! THANK YOU!
Bev :)
I think that a large part of the current negative thinking about firearms, is due to a lack of exposure to them as children. It’s always heartening to hear from young folks that were exposed, and have a healthy interest in all the aspects of firearms. Hunting, target shooting, reloading, and collecting are not evil bad things. To me, they are a part of my heritage to be treasured and enjoyed.