The Well Armed Woman National Chapter Leader Conference

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending the National Chapter Leader Conference for The Well Armed Woman held in St. Louis, MO. My good friend Ashley and I were lucky enough to represent San Diego as its chapter leaders. With some incredible sponsors such as Ruger, Mossberg, CAA, Glock, Walther Arms, NRA-ILA, Magpul, CCW Safe, RWC Group and Gun Tote'n Mamas, this first annual conference blew expectations out of the water. There were almost 20 beautiful gun giveaways and thousands of dollars of merchandise in swag and giveaways.

Giveaway table.... just for Day 1! 

We had several amazing seminars including a leadership seminar with the fabulous founder of TWAW, Carrie Lightfoot, and a guest presentation from the incredibly talented Gabby Franco (Olympic shooter and Top Shot contestant).

San Diego Chapter Leaders with Founder Carrie Lightfoot

Guest Speaker Gabby Franco

One of my favorite sessions was the industry panel. Representatives of several of our sponsors attended and really listened to what we had to say and what we are looking for. One particular fact stands out in my head - one rep indicated that surveys sent out to their gun owners had a female response rate of less than 3%. That is nowhere near representative of gun ownership. Yet, the company is hearing almost no feedback from its female gun owners. So please - read those emails, and RESPOND!

These companies have also acknowledged the changing industry and have offered amazing deals to our members. You may or may not have heard.... but Glock has offered an incredibly generous pricing program for TWAW members!! As if you didn't already have enough reasons to join..... Contact me for more info!

At our banquet, we were able to mingle with many of the representatives and personally speak with and get to know them. How amazing is that opportunity?!

Mingling with Glock representatives

TWAW has had phenomenal growth since its inception in early 2013, and there are even more exciting things to come in 2015. The big news is..... they will be converting to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization! This opens so many doors and will only help this amazing organization grow.

I am so excited to see where our group will go.

See you on the range!

Gun Girl Clubs

Hey Gun Girls! Sorry for being MIA, but there have been so many exciting things happening! Recently I have gotten involved with a local "gun girl club" - a monthly ladies' night out at the shooting range!

The Well Armed Woman is one of many national women's shooting organizations. TWAW has over 200 chapters all around the country, representing 44 states. In less than two years, it has grown to over 6,000 members! It is "Where the Feminine and Firearms Meet" and aims to "educate, empower, and equip" women in all walks of life and each chapter generally meets monthly for both classroom and range time.

TWAW also offers tons of advice and products geared towards the female shooter. Membership also gives you access to tons of amazing perks - including a special pricing program for the Glock Girls out there!

Several months ago, with incredibly good timing, I joined our local TWAW chapter as one of two leaders. Ashley is an amazing instructor and a wonderful person. We immediately clicked and became instant friends, and she hasn't stopped impressing me since I met her. She is certified in more disciplines than I can name - just some of which include NRA instructor ratings in basic pistol, personal protection inside the home, personal protection outside the home, and chief range safety officer. Boy, am I so lucky to have met this really talented lady!

Chapter Leaders of the San Diego Chapter of The Well Armed Woman

We meet monthly at P2K Range in El Cajon and have covered various topics about both shooting and self defense. There are so many more topics to cover and we can't wait to share our knowledge and the knowledge of others with our members.

Our next meeting is October 24 at 6:30pm. Please email me at blackcatfirearms@gmail.com to RSVP. Range fees are $15 and you can check out a meeting for free before joining. I look forward to seeing you there!

Other Clubs

While The Well Armed Woman leans towards the self defense aspect of shooting, there are tons of other organizations out there. To name a few:

A Girl & A Gun is a national shooting organization which focuses on the shooting sports. Recently, AG&AG sent the first all-female team to IDPA nationals. (PS - I have some exciting blog posts about AG&AG coming up soon!)

She Can Shoot offers national firearms training for women and families, and women-only chapters. They have 12 (soon to be more) chapters across the country.

Armed Lady is a national women's shooting organization that offers monthly instruction to women.

And of course, there are tons of local clubs that you can join. Search the internet or ask your local gun ranges. 

Check it out, let me know what you think, and......

See you on the range!

Women on Target - June 2014

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of being an assistant instructor at a women-only clinic called Women on Target. WOT is a program that was introduced by the NRA to offer a friendly environment in which to learn safe handling of firearms.

 

This particular clinic was put on by the CalGuns Shooting Sports Association. CGSSA is a non-profit group that promotes 2nd Amendment activities all over California, including monthly shooting clinics focusing on pistols, rifles, and more, and of course, Women on Target.

We had 15 amazing ladies join us to the beautiful Burro Canyon Shooting Park.

Throughout the day, the ladies learned the basic parts of a pistol, the components of ammunition, breath control, stance, grip, trigger control, and sight alignment.

It was an incredible experience to see shooters who had never handled a gun before and started out missing the target completely end the day with 6" groupings. I am really looking forward to bringing that joy to more students.

Find a Women on Target clinic near you today!

See you on the range!

Discovering My Passion

In 2008, I was introduced to shooting for the very first time. I really enjoyed it (despite my horrible form) and discovered that I wasn't too bad at it!

First time shooting (2008)

Attempting a shotgun - please note the improper trigger discipline (2008)

While I am eternally grateful for the friend who showed me the ropes for the very first time, I have no memory of any safety debriefing or instruction on proper form. Scary, right? Nonetheless, I had a blast! (pun intended)

However, it was still incredibly intimidating to me. It would be years before I would go shooting again. I finally got the nerve to get some proper training, and even purchased my first gun in 2011. To this day, it is still one of my favorite firearms. My Sig Sauer P239 has been incredibly reliable and such an integral part of my training.

By 2012, I was a self-proclaimed "gun girl." I was (and still am) a regular at the gun range and my gun collection had grown with satisfying diversity (and continues to grow at a terrifying pace!). When I met the man who would soon become my husband, he was a casual shooter with fond memories of the range from his military days, but hadn't had the time or opportunity to go shooting in a long time. I dragged him out to the range with me and helped reignite that spark!

Defensive firearms training (2013)

Defensive firearms training (2013)

Every day, our passion continues to increase, amplified by each other's enthusiasm... and today, we are in full zombie apocalypse preparation mode. He buys me machetes for Christmas and decorates them with Hello Kitty emblems. I buy him tactical survival gear and lovingly help him pack his bug-out bag.

In the course of my journey, I have discovered a true passion in teaching. I love teaching all types of shooters, but I especially enjoy that light that blinks on when a woman shoots a gun for the first time. I am striving to bring to San Diego the opportunity for women to learn in a comfortable and friendly environment without any of the usual intimidation that comes with a mostly-male atmosphere.

And I look forward to sharing my journey with you all!

See you on the range!