Over the last few months, we have found that people are intrigued by the term "shooting sports" when we explain why we are opening this store. When we say that the store will cater more to the female shooter than the average gun store does, the most common reaction is "well, sure - self defense is a must these days!" It is so much more than self defense, and even if your only reason IS self defense, you still need to go to the range and practice shooting the firearm that you keep by your bedside, carry on your person, in your vehicle, in your purse, etc. Practice is KEY to good self defense, and there are many other reasons to shoot, too. Here are a few reasons we shoot:
1) Fun - yes, we said it, we shoot for FUN! While Marty is great at just about every sport he tries, Dawn has to work a little harder at it. Well, the day she realized she was halfway decent at target shooting, the fun they have together with this sport escalated! Marty never thought he would hear Dawn ask to go to the shooting range or be excited to go when he asked if she wanted to. Now, they have fun together "plinking brass". It makes for a fun day date or family outing if you bring the kids along.
2) Education - speaking of kids, target shooting is a great opportunity to teach children the basics of shooting and the safety aspects of shooting. You can teach them and implement the four safety rules of shooting while there:
1) Treat all guns as if they are always loaded
2) Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy
3) Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot
4) Always be aware of your target and what's behind it
3) Self Defense - this is what most individuals naturally think of when we talk firearms with them. It is a major reason to have a firearm. If you plan to use firearms for self defense, it is important that you go to the range often and shoot with the firearm or firearms that you carry for self defense. Most ranges will not allow you to pull from a holster and shoot, but some will. If the ranges do not allow this, and you want to practice drawing from your holster, there are molded firearms that replicate a large number of firearms that you can purchase and use for this practice.
4) Competition - who doesn't love a great competition, right? As with any sport, shooting sports are competitive, too. There are so many shooting competitions - 3 gun, Conventional Pistol, High Power Rifle, Smallbore Rifle, Skeet Shooting, and many more. All of these encourage practice with a firearm, safety, and unconventional situations which could help in - wait for it - everyone's favorite reasons to say firearms are necessary - self defense!
These are just a few reasons to go out to the shooting range, or family farm, and have some good, safe fun with target shooting. There are many other reasons we haven't mentioned (like hunting!) but we will save those for another day. Until then...
Shoot On!
The Shooting Diva
