Tool Kit

What is in your tool kit for your personal protection, personal defense?

There are so many different situations, and so many different responses.  What tools do you have? 

For me, the first is situational awareness.  If you don't know what is happening around you, you can't respond!  Second is "what ifs", that process of thinking what if X happens, what will I do? 

I've taken Pepper Spray Training, I take Personal Defense Training, www.novaselfdefense.com, (not martial arts, but personal defense, there is a big difference).  I hadn't been hit since high school, and I know that statistically a male attacker will try to put a woman on the ground where she is more vulnerable.  Personal defense is about responding to the intial attack and getting through it to get to the next line of defense.  I have a few physical limitiations, so I prefer personal training to a class, we can go at my pace and work with my limitiations and incorporate my tools.

I carry a kubaton, I carry a gun, I carry a whistle.  I have a voice, I am not afraid of telling someone to back off in a way that let's them know that to keep coming is NOT a good idea. 

These are all part of my "tool kit" to avoid, and if necessary, respond to a situation.

What's in your tool kit? 

What's in your tool kit?

What's in Your Range Bag?

For women, Range Bags are a little like purses.  We throw all of our essentials in there!  Oddly, men and women define “essentials” differently.  Like many people who have been shooting a while, or who have multiple guns, I have two range bags.  One is med sized and one is quite large.  The medium is my first bag, my go-to when I’m only shooting my primary or maybe taking one more with me.  It has certification patches, Winchester program patches…Looks great on the outside, just don’t look inside where the stitches are!  LOL

It usually has my ears, my eyes in a hard case, extra pair of reading glasses in case I’m wearing contacts that day and can’t see anything less than 5 feet away.  It also holds a few boxes of ammo, in whatever caliber I plan to shoot that day, a sheepskin gun mat to lay on the table, a squib rod, lots of targets (cheap ones because I usually turn them blank side out), a roll of bright orange 3” dots, a pack of ¼” dots, stickers to go on the blank target.  My instructor always says “aim small, miss small”.  Easy for him, he is REALLY good.  The 3” dots are mostly for students, but sometimes I need an ego boost and something bigger to aim at so all of my shots are inside.  I found a plastic piece that is used to adjust the Velcro attachments on some holsters, even though I don’t carry those holsters anymore (catching on to the purse reference?).  A gun magazine, in case I have to wait for a lane.  Pens, business cards for the company I teach with and for my blog, a mini-leatherman tool, a knife, a flashlight (ok the knife and flashlight are often in my pocket when I’m dressed as an instructor, but in my jeans just me…they are in my bag).  Maybe one gun case, if I’m taking something else to play with. 

When I switch up to the big bag, most of that is already in the bag, a few things get moved over, and then there is room for the extra semi-autos, the revolver, the brick of .22 if I’m taking the rifle…of course, then I have to get the little wheeled cart because by then the bag weighs about 60 pounds, or feels like it!  LOL 

So, what do you carry with you when you go to shoot?  And, how long has it been since you’ve really dumped out your range bag?  I was surprised by what I found in mine.  Anyone need a Velcro tool?  Maybe I’ll keep it, you never know when it will come in handy, fishing something out of a small space!

Safe Shooting!

Why did I become an instructor?

From the outside looking in it may have seemed like a crazy idea.  I work full time, I have a 4 hour commute (round trip).  I had my weekends free, I could go to the range whenever I wanted, I’m naturally shy and introverted…what was I thinking? 

Now, most work weeks are 7 days.  Some of that time is sitting in the class watching someone else teach and some of that is teaching (talking or on the range).  Do I sometimes miss my weekends?  I’m over 50, have fibromyalgia, so YES!  But…my fibro is better since I’ve been teaching.  I’m calmer, happier, but much busier…that took some serious thought. 

Working with Evan and Dave at Innovative Defensive Solutions, LLC., helped me find a confidence I thought I had lost, or maybe didn’t realize was there.  It gave me an outlet from day to day nonsense, drastically improved my shooting skills and firearms knowledge, and helped me find my voice and a purpose.  We all need that, and sometimes we get it from family or our jobs, but when that doesn’t work we need to look elsewhere. 

Since I became an instructor I started this blog, two FB pages (Women Firearms Instructors and National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day – which just went over 800 likes in less than 3 weeks).  I found my voice.  I learned that in teaching and helping others on their path to shooting, I was sharing my passion for the sport.  It may seem like I was giving something but I found I was getting so much more!  I learn something from every class.  I get excited for the students on the range when they do well, and I’m as excited as they are.  I’ve met so many wonderful, smart, funny, supportive people through Face Book and this blog, I can’t thank them all enough for being in my life, and I know there are more friends out there that I haven’t met yet.

And…my latest endeavor.  National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day.  Yesterday I got a call from someone at US Shooting, they oversee the US Olympic Shooting team and what I like to think of as “the path to dream” to get to that level.  I was in awe, I was talking to a man who represented our great nation at the 1976 Olympics!  Wow…he wanted to know if they could link to NTYDTTRD to reach out to young shooters to help them discover that path to dream.  Gulp…OK!   

Are we crazy busy?  YES.  Do we seriously need donations, DOUBLE YES, the start up costs are brutal.  But, do I fall asleep at the end of a long day of answering emails, tweaking the website (or trying to learn how to tweak the site, LOL) with a smile and a sense that we are doing something amazing?  Yes.  In the few short weeks since this idea was published to the world, the support, the photos and the emails have been incredible.  I’m so excited.  We, all of us in this warm, loving, shooting community, are bonding together to teach safe gun handling, self esteem and FUN.  With our friends, our children…each other. 

When I wondered why my Fibro didn’t seem so bad I realized…I’m happy.  I feel I’m doing something good for someone besides me.  Amazing what putting yourself out there for the rest of the world does for the little world inside your own skin.

Yes, I will get back to shooting tips and practical advice very soon, but wanted to send a big thank you to my new friends, and the friends I haven’t met yet.

Safe Shooting.

4000 and growing!

Sometime during the night we crossed 4000!  Wow, I am overwhelmed.

I know my content has been a little light lately, but I'm getting the hang of the website, www.nationaltakeyourdaughtertotherangeday.com and the emails are starting to come in fast and furious.  Lots of people want to take info to the boards of their ranges to get them to agree to participate.

I'm so excited, on multiple fronts.  You have gotten behind this in a huge way, there is so much support, and positive energy, it is what is keeping me going.  Thank you.  I can't wait to look back on this first year, say 5 or even 10 years from now, and know that we have participants in every state and that there are girls and young women learning to shoot safely, and having fun!

Thank you all so much!!!!!!!!

Sharing Someone Else’s Story

I may be a little sensitized because it involves a person I consider a friend, but I make it a point not to write about someone else’s experiences unless I check with them first.

Recently there have been multiple posts, with multiple viewpoints, that refer to someone’s very personal experience.  One of the ways she used to deal with what happened to her was to blog about and share her story, however, that is still her story and doesn’t make it public domain. 

I believe very strongly in the right to privacy and will make every effort not to call out anyone, except myself, in this writing, without his or her permission in advance.  (I did ask her before publishing this.)

I think if we all ask ourselves how we would feel if we read our story in someone else’s print, positive or negative, it might make all of us better writers.

Safe Shooting.