I love teaching!

I had the chance to introduce a very pleasant young man to shooting today. He was a natural, shot extremely well, and that left us time to play a little more, speed drills and turning targets, different pistols. What made it so much fun for me was watching his skill develop and the huge smile.  By the time we were finished, my smile was as big as his.

We need more women teaching, think about sharing the joy and fun with someone else.  It is fun and rewarding.

A good instructor makes all the difference...

Have you ever worked with someone who did not give you a sense of comfort or safety?  Good instructors are very safety concious, they are confident, they may not know all the answers but will not BS their way through an answer if they don't know.

A student of mine, who is a sweet lady, recently had a trip to a range with a group she is affiliated with.  The instructor gave them a range brief that apparently left more questions than answers. There were people handling firearms in the classroom with no regard for safe direction (I've accidently been muzzled, I don't like it either, even if the gun is unloaded) and the instructor / RSO just ignored it.  Apparently range rules were not well enforced, safety was lax...suffice to say, she decided it was not a good environment for her.

She did the right thing, she left. A good instructor can make your shooting experience comfortable. A bad one can make it scary! If in doubt, leave. You know if you don't feel safe, trust your instincts and stay safe.

I was really proud of her for trusting her feelings instead of staying in what sounded like a bad situation.

Safe Shooting!

Cleaning my Gun

As an instructor, one question I get a lot is "How often do I need to clean my gun?"
Aside from the fact that I like to clean my guns, my rule of thumb is that if it will be more than a week before I shoot again, I clean them.  If I have shoot at least 2 weeks in a row, I clean them.  I am a little more particular about my carry gun, but I like to have them all clean.

Malfunctions are scary. They have a way of happening at the worst possible time.  Something to consider...

I have never heard of anyone having a malfunction because their gun was too clean!

Safe Shooting!

Gun Show

It was pretty amazing to be at the Dulles Expo Center for 3 days promoting National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day.  Thank you to Virginia Commonwealth Attorney Ken Cuccinelli, and his team, for allowing me space at his table.

It was so much fun to get to talk to so many people about shooting, about the event, about getting families to shoot together.  The response was so overwhelmingly positive that it is difficult to describe.

One of the coolest parts was when women, and a few men, came up and asked if I was Lynne.  They said they read my blog or my FB pages all the time and were excited to meet me.  Wow, that was humbling!  I was so touched by the people who went out of there was to look for me.

Thank you all so much.

Safe Shooting!

NTYDTTRD is coming up!!

Time to start registering before all the good time slots are gone!

If you are in the Northern Va area, please plan to attend the founders event at the HQ NRA Range. We will have volunteer NRA Certified instructors, loaner firearms that can be handled by ages 6 and up. Prizes, give aways, a raffle and lots of fun!

The program starts at 7:00 a.m., we are the only ones on the range from 7-8:00. There will be a shooting demonstration approximately 8:10, some trick shots, some great shooting, and MAYBE a special guest… We will start again at 8:30 with dedicated lanes for our use during public hours. 

We will be asking for a $10 donation per family to cover range fees.

Experience is not required!  Come Join US for some family fun!  Please pre-register with me, Lynne@InnovativeDefensiveSolutions.com , I need to know the number and ages of children (adult daughters are welcome as are the sons) and your preferred time.  I will confirm a time with you by return email.

If you are not in our area, please look on the Find a Range tab at www.NationalTakeYourDaughtertotheRangeDay.com to find a range close to you.  Check the info box to see if pre-registration has been requested and let them know if you have any questions.

Let’s Make June 9 an AWESOME day of Safe Shooting and Family Fun!

Thanks for your Patience, Hang in a little longer?

I know some of you have been wondering where all the funny and informative posts went!  I apologize.  National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day has taken up a tremendous chunk of time, I’m teaching more…but, and I have resisted telling anyone until now, I’ve been working on a book for women shooters, an introduction to shooting, concealed carry with some chapters on unarmed personal defense and situational awareness.

It will have the same tone as my usual posts, conversational, light and lots of information. The first draft is almost finished, then I have to get all the photos, and put it in final form, but I hope to have it shipped off to the publisher by July. 

So, don’t give up on me, I will be back with more ideas, suggestions and off beat humor. And, if all goes according to plan, you can look for my book next spring! I will definitely keep you all posted!

Safe Shooting!

Nations Gun Show at Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly VA this weekend!

If you are in the area, come on out!  I will be at Virginia Commonwealth Attorney Ken Cuccinelli's table promoting National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day!  Come say hi!!

BTW, if you've never been to the gun show at the Expo Center, leave your credit cards at home!  There are so many WONDERFUL things you didn't know you needed!  Plan a budget in advance, there are amazing things there. 

If you are looking for a first gun, this is a great opportunity, very few places will you see so many of different makes, models and sizes.  You can hold a hundred different guns in your hand looking for that Goldilock's moment of the one that feels perfect!

Safe Shooting!

Who Knew? NTYDTTRD Update

Who knew back in Jan when we first put the idea of a National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day that we would be here, 2 months before the event, with a non-profit corporation, sponsors, events being scheduled all across our great nation, lots of people working hard to make their events special, wonderful volunteers working to help make things work for everyone and me, in the middle with my head spinning a little thinking WHAT AN AMAZING COMMUNITY THIS WORLD OF SHOOTERS IS!

I've gotten two more inquiries from ranges just today!  I'm so excited, I could burst, I can't wait for the events and to see the photos.  But more than that, I am so truly humbled by the people who have gotten behind this, who are supporting it, who are working to make their local events happen and who are sharing their ideas and support.  I'm humbled by the individual sponsors who are donating $5, $10, $20 to help with the overhead.  I know that they are sending us what they can and that is very special to me.

This year may be small in scale, but it will be HUGE in heart!  Next year will be even bigger.

Thank you all and Safe Shooting!

New to me Glock Naming Contest - NAMED!

I recently aquired a new to me Glock 19 to use with students.  I prefer to keep my primary carry gun in the holster and not take if off, unload and hand it to a student to shoot, but I had been while I was looking for another one.  Well, I found one!  And, for those who read here and the FB pages, you know that I ran a poll to help me name the new Glock.  Yes, if you are new to me, you don't know, I name all my guns...silly, maybe, but I like it.  I got some great suggestions, vey original, such as Gladys Night and the Hollow Points, Glinda the Good Glock...some less original but very appropriate.

Well, I settled on a name.  I picked Glinda the Good Glock (really, is there any such thing as a bad Glock?) If you have not seen TV in the last 50 years, it is a reference to Glinda the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz.  I liked it, so G3 it is!  I ordered a slide plate and will post a photo when it comes.

Thank you for the idea!

BTW, in case you were wondering, one of the reasons I don't like to unload my hollowpoints and switch to practice ammo a lot is that you need to rotate the rounds.  If you frequently unload and re-chamber the same round, it can damage the round.  Hence you need to cycle them, and then go ahead and shoot a couple after several cycles of loading and rechambering.  Price is a factor there.  Plus, it is my primary carry gun.  I like the idea of having a quality firearm I can let students practice with, that I treat just as well as my carry gun in terms of cleaning and maintenance, maybe better since I'm putting it in someone else's hands. But it keeps my carry gun in my hands.

Safe Shooting!

Why I do what I do…

Someone posted on my FB page recently “Do you ever sleep?”.  They were teasing, sort of.  This is a very hectic time for me, with work, teaching, writing…but gosh, I can’t imagine what I would give up!  I have some big announcements coming in the near future (unfortunately none involve the Mega Millions Jackpot).

NTYDTTRD is coming along so well, we are welcoming new ranges every week, we are coast to coast and just added Hawaii!  The “Founders”, Evan Carson and I, are starting to promote our own event which will be at the NRA Range in Fairfax, Va.  My husband jokingly told me with as much effort and money as we are putting into this our event better not “suck”!  Yikes!  Pressure…but I know those who attend will have a great time.  We have lots of cool things planned and may even have a special guest, but I can’t say until it is confirmed. The NRA is getting behind this event, posting it on NRA News (I got interviewed and boy was I nervous!).  It has started to gather attention among the folks in the big building, and I expect we will see more than a few of them, with their kids, at the event.

Teaching is turning out to be a labor of passion. I’ve been doing more time on my feet in the classroom lately, and LOVING IT!  Most of you know, I’m an adjunct instructor for Innovative Defensive Solutions, LLC.  It is a great group of instructors and we have fun in our classes.  Being a relatively new instructor I mostly sat in on classes to learn, or taught for an hour or two.  Last weekend I had my first time as the lead instructor for a class and was lucky enough to have a co-instructor that I like a lot. We had so much fun! I think our students did, too!  When we had the range time, I got to work with two ladies who both did quite well. I’m always impressed with how quickly women master the basics and how big the smiles are when they shoot well! One of the women had a little problem with her gun mis-feeding, but I couldn’t see what was causing it. I asked if she minded if I shot it, she said ok, and I sent two rounds down range.  (If ever there is a time the instructor wants to only see one hole it is when the student is watching that close and YES, one slightly enlarged jagged hole!  WOO-HOO!) No mis-feed, but it answered the question in my mind and we talked about firming up the wrist support just a little more.  No more mis-feeds and a very happy student. 

Firearms can be a pretty serious topic, and safety is critical. When you can do that and still make a joke and get people to laugh, remind them that we are going to the range to what?  HAVE FUN!!!  Yep, even an introvert like me goes home feeling pretty good.

What?  Introvert?  Yes, it’s true.  I can work a room, give a presentation, teach a class and do a live radio interview, but I’m still an shy introvert at my core. Those things usually leave me feeling drained because of the amount of energy it takes to do them. However, teaching leaves me pretty up beat! Maybe it is because I love it, maybe it is the looks on the faces of my students as they have an “Ah-Ha” moment, or maybe it is because we have fun. Maybe it is because of my passion for shooting.

For those of you out there, on the fence, wondering if you could teach…GO FOR IT!  We need more Women Instructors. More women are in the classes, it is good for them to see women shooting and loving what they do. Get in with a good established team of instructors, take your time, team teach classes, discover your passion for sharing the fun and joy of shooting safely.

You can search the NRA Instructor Portal for instructor classes in your area.

Safe Shooting.

When is enough really enough?

I have more guns than I can shoot, holsters to accommodate any of the ones I might actually carry, blue guns in the same model for all my carry guns so I can practice different carry styles, drawing, etc., without having to be in my dry-fire safe area.  Why do I want more?  Are guns addictive, like Dark Chocolate or Shoes?  How many is too many?  When I start looking at buying a second safe, does that mean I have too many?  Why, when I walk the aisles at the gun show do I spot something I just have to have?  Why am I even tempted by the cute little guns I have no practical use for, like the little pearl handled Derringer?

What is it about guns that makes them so alluring?  They are sleek and shiny, dark and dangerous…

I can justify my last purchase, I bought a Glock 19 for students to use when I’m teaching.  That way I don’t have to take my carry gun off, unload it, get out the practice rounds and hand it over to a student.  But why am I so tempted by others that I have no legitimate need for?  They’re pretty, they’re fun, there is something about the feel of a new gun in your hand while you are getting used to it, learning to shoot it, breaking it down and cleaning it the first time…Ahhhh…