By Lee Rennick
Shooting isn’t just for steely-eyed Clint Eastwood types. On the first Tuesday of each month from 6:00 pm until 8:00pm, Nashville Armory hosts a Ladies Night where you will find an amazing bunch of women learning about gun safety and socializing together.
“I [shot] at seven feet and I did better,” said Reggie, as she brought her shooting target in closer for inspection.
“I do better with the 40 caliber,” said Anne. “I got all bull-eyes with it, and they tell me that is hard to do. Even the guys on staff were impressed.”
“The night begins at 6:00 p.m. with instruction on fundaments,” said Karen, one of the instructors.
Fundamentals include gun etiquette, aim, trigger control, breath control, stance, hold, and follow through. The trainers also review the nomenclature for revolvers and semi-automatics.
The Ladies Night program rotates on a three-month cycle. The first session is all about hand guns, and participants get to shoot five different types of hand guns, a .22, a 9mm, a .38, a .40, and a .45. They also shoot hallow-point shells.
The second session is all rifles, including the chance to shoot a full-automatic machine gun.
The last session in the cycle is called a “Scoot and Shoot.” Participants are required to go through a series of shooting stances, for example from their knees and around barriers.
Each session will accept up to 16 women, with the “Scoot and Shoot” maxing out at ten, as each woman gets to shoot the full range with a handgun.
Women who participate are there for a number of reasons. Self-protection is number one, followed by a desire to feel protected while traveling by car alone for business as a single woman, and protection of their families. All of the participants say that coming to the Ladies Night is most of all about gaining knowledge about guns and gun safety. And having fun while learning together.
“I love that there are instructors here to help me get better,” said Jennifer. “I don’t feel like I am improving when I come shoot alone because I do not know what I am doing wrong.”
“I have a concealed weapon permit,” said Jill, “and I want to know what type of gun to buy. This way I get to try all different kinds and see what feels right for me.”
“The women like that it is females only,” said Karen, “because they feel that they can ask questions that might get an eye-roll in a class that also allows men. Because they feel like they can ask anything in an all-female class, they learn more. And that is what we are here for more than anything. To educate the public about shooting and gun safety. Shooting skills are diminishing over all because people do not practice. We offer the opportunity to learn and to practice.”
All of the trainers on Ladies Night are women who are NRA certified, each with their own story of how they got involved in shooting.
“I’ve been shooting since I was 10,” said Sharon, another instructor. “I was the only girl with three brothers who used to go shoot tin cans in the rock quarry near our home. If I wanted to fit in, I really didn’t have a choice, but it was fun.”
Besides Ladies Nights, Nashville Armory offers a full range of services, including group and individual training, corporate events, a five-star gun range, a pro shop, a retail shop, and a virtual training simulator.
For more information, check out their website at www.nashvillearmory.com. To sign up for the next Ladies Night, click here.
This article is brought to you by Nashville Armory, which features climate controlled pistol and rifle rated bays and a training center offering a wide variety of classes for any skill level lead by certified instructors. Visit nashvillearmory.com for more.
