Step Up, Ladies!
From a comment on the old dojo blog (FWIW - the Dojo has been closed for a couple of years now):
"Now a days females should apply for these class, and a suggestion for you folks, provide discount for teen girls, they need to learn self defense more than anyone."Agreed, and ladies should learn to shoot - and that does NOT mean only taking the handgun carry permit class.
The problem, however, is that the vast majority of women and girls age 12 and up take absolutely no personal responsibility for their own safety. Oh, they will pay lip service. Maybe take a "women's self defense" class here or there. Maybe get their carry permit.
Have you ever tried dragging a teen girl to a martial arts class? Pulling teeth might be easier.
The running joke for ladies in handgun classes is that the only way they sign up is if their husband/boyfriend/dad/brother/etc. "drags" them to class "kicking a screaming." Of course, none of them really have to be literally dragged - but it sure seems like it.
In nearly 7 years of firearms instruction, I've had a non-alumni female pay for class exactly twice. BOTH times, they were buying a gift for their husband. Alumni are a different story, because once we get you in class, you will be hooked!
As you read this, there is some keyboard commando who is vigorously typing away something to the effect of "so-and-so has many ladies classes and they are all full." Well, there are two circumstances where this is true:
- A big-name instructor (like Lena Miculek) is holding the class. And watch - most of the women there are female instructors who are trying to figure out how to attract more ladies. And the rest are ladies for whom their husbands strongly urged them to take the class!
- The person saying this got a single call, said they didn't have any because nobody asks for them. Then the original caller has a girlfriend/sister/daughter/mother/etc. call and also ask. Then doodle-britches at the gun training center or range says "yeah, we are getting lots of calls!" Then they cannot sell out a single class. Then they stop teaching them. Then we go back to square 1.
So, instead of complain about it. I will do this:
- First - I will blog about it. I will make sure to put factual information forth, as always. (this is that blog post).
- Second - I will challenge the ladies. Take a gun class! Enroll in ongoing combative martial arts classes! You will be glad you did.
- Third - I will do this again soon. See paragraph above.
Thoughts?
My wife got her Kommiecticut pistol permit in 2013. I've had mine since 1983, as soon as I was legally able to do so. We are 10 months apart in age. I carry every waking moment of every day, except while on actual duty at the firehouse, however it is locked and loaded and secured nearby. My wife ALWAYS gets invited to join me at the range for informal target practice or shooting events, but declines. I posit that because she is reactive, not proactive she will never even consider carrying until she is personally assaulted or car-jacked. Even with the constant barrage of news stories about the sharp increase in crime, there is just nothing I can do to convince her otherwise. Believe me I've tried.
ReplyDeleteI was part of an organization that ONLY trained women; all women NRA certified instructors and range safety officers. We were wildly successful....
ReplyDeleteOk, I'll bite. Who? What was the name of this training company? What is "wildly successful?"
DeleteIt has been several days, so I'll leave this reply. Since I knew this sort of comment would be left, and without names of organizations and / or instructors, and without a definition of "wildly successful," and without any evidence at all (Google searches yield nothing on this claim), I'm going to say that this statement is patently false.
DeleteI would love nothing better than to have to eat my words, but I just don't think it will happen. My promise, as always, is that if I am proven wrong, then I shall admit it in a blog post. Until then, consider the above comment by "anon" to be patently false.