(Article) The Growing Trend in Female Gun Ownership: It’s Much More than Defense

The Growing Trend in Female Gun Ownership: It’s Much More than Defense

           Old musicals were filled with show-stopping numbers like, “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” and “You Can’t Get A Man With A Gun.” But a new musical number reflecting the 2010’s might be titled “Guns Are A Women’s Best Defense.”

            You may have noticed a significantly greater female presence at your local range, gun store or in the field over the last few years. You would not be alone. Industry analysts, like those gathered in Las Vegas this week for the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Shot Show are also taking notice of the rise in female gun ownership. Why wouldn’t they? After all, women account for more than 20 percent of the total marketplace. Recent data shows that while gun ownership among men is slightly declining, overall gun ownership is steady; women are making up the difference, but why? Beyond a means for mere self-defense or pursuit of an engaging hobby, many women report that their participation in the firearms community has produced within them a real sense of independence and personal empowerment; something men may inherently know but rarely admit.

            According to the NRA, between 2004 and 2011 female gun ownership grew by a staggering 77 percent. The increase correlates directly with societal shifts over the last half-century where women often travel for careers, run more errands, and often find themselves alone at home responsible for their own safety. Take the case of Donna Jackson for example.

            On a cold December night in 2009, 56 year-old Donna Jackson was alone at her remote Cushing Oklahoma home. With her husband working the nightshift, she was awoken by her dogs barking alerting her to a “crazed” man trying to break into their home. She called 911 and for ten minutes calmly relayed to the dispatcher how the man was circling her home hollering and threatening her as he searched for a way in. Ultimately, he threw a patio chair through the glass patio door and placed Donna in the position of defending herself or becoming a victim. She had a shotgun for home defense and was obviously trained; on the 911 tape you can hear her saying to the dispatcher, “I'm taking the safety off the gun, ma'am. He's acting crazy. Once the glass door shattered and the intruder entered her home she fired. It was discovered that the crazed man was 53-year-old Billy Dean Riley, who had a long criminal history, crashed his truck nearby while extremely intoxicated severely injuring his sister in the process and proceeded to attempt to break-in to the Jackson’s home. The average emergency response time for police is 23 minutes, an eternity when your life is on the line. By arming herself, knowing how to use the firearm properly, and remaining calm and decisive, Donna Jackson prevented herself from becoming another home-invasion statistic.

            Once women realize they can mitigate their vulnerability by purchasing and training with a firearm they enter a new world-view where they can take more control over their lives. Former Secret Service agent Tina Wilson-Cohen founded “She Can Shoot” with that premise in mind. With 10 chapters of 3,000 women nation-wide, Wilson-Cohen shares that 90 percent of her members have joined because “they’ve been a victim at one point of their life, of stalking or date rape or domestic violence, or they have just felt so vulnerable, and they want to feel competent and like they can protect themselves.”

            Women are also purchasing more firearms as they pursue once male-dominated hunting sports. While the majority of the country’s 13.7 million hunters are male, the number of active women pursuing the sport is on the rise. In 2001, only 10 percent of the hunting community was made up of women. By 2013 that number had grown to 19 percent with over 3.3 million women taking to the field rather than the supermarket for truly “range-free” meat for the table. The substantial growth in this segment of the hunting demographic is not a product of chance. It can be traced back to concerted efforts by organizations like the National Shooting Sports Foundation. President Steve Sanetti explains how, “Over the past several years [we have] encouraged existing hunters and shooters to introduce their spouses, daughters and other newcomers to shooting sports and outdoor lifestyles. I believe these efforts are paying off.”

            Many couples experience greater connections between the land, their food sources, and each other as taking to the field together affords them new opportunities for spending recreational time together. The days of becoming “hunting widows” each fall are a thing of the past. "Women are realizing how much fun hunting is and how close it can actually bring them in their relationships with their families," said cohost Tiffany Lakosky of the Outdoor Channel’s new show Crush with Lee & Tiffany. This new sub-genre of outdoors programming follows a family’s journey where a love for the land, the love for the hunt and the love for each other come together.

Many women are also finding new recreational outlets among the shooting sports like target shooting, trap and skeet. Ranges nation-wide have experienced a steady 50 percent increase in female visitors over the past ten years. That trend is expected to continue in the coming years as more and more women are seeking out opportunities to become more proficient shooters and experience the comradery and enjoyment once reserved for just men. Women have outpaced men as newcomers to target shooting. Skeet and trap clubs have seen an equally promising increase in female members leading to the creation of women’s organizations like A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League. With the mission of educating women on in safe and accurate shooting, the league promotes “a positive environment that supports women shooters and generates opportunities for women and girls in the shooting sports.” It is more than just shooting. It’s about the empowerment, support and friendships they discover within the competitive environment. The league’s website speaks to the effects on individual women who compete. “Every day, we witness the transformation of women who set out to learn how to shoot and in the process discover a confidence in themselves that improves all areas of their lives.”

Firearms manufacturers, clothing and accessories, ammunition suppliers and training outlets have embraced the woman shooter in grand fashion. After all, the average woman gun owner spends $870 annually on firearm purchases and $405 on accessories. 43 percent of female owners visit a range at least once a month. It’s more than just pink guns. Cabela’s, SHE Outdoor Apparel and Próis among others are responding to the trend by providing products specifically to this unique market. Fitted just for women’s forms and tastes, you can find a large selection of lace belly holsters, concealed carry purses, hearing and eye protection, outdoor clothing and even jewelry made from recycled ballistics. Women are more inclined to pursue training and instruction compared to their male counterparts. This has led to dramatic increase in specialized training geared towards addressing the needs of female shooters. You can be sure that outfitters are watching close with a new sense of the impact from women shooting enthusiasts on the combined multi-billion dollar gun/hunting market.

The proliferation of women’s shooting clubs has given this often-ignored segment of the shooting community a place to call their own by assisting many women in overcoming the stigmatisms associated with female gun ownership. The Well-Armed Woman organization is a fitting example. With an 11,000 members nationwide, the group aims to educate, equip and empower women gun owners. Founded by Carrie Lightfoot when she was frustrated by the lack of resources for women who were considering arming themselves, the non-profit has evolved into the “largest and most trusted women’s resource, committed to bringing innovative products, training and information to women gun owners everywhere.”

The NRA has also responded to the exponential growth in female gun ownership by instituting a great number of women-centered programs. These include the NRA Women’s Channel sponsored by Smith & Wesson, the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum, and the popular Refuse To Be A Victim program where over 100,000 members since 1993 have received education on safety strategies beyond mere firearms training. The organization is proving itself as another valuable resource for the woman shooter beyond mere 2^nd Amendment advocacy.

There are many reasons why women are fast becoming the largest-growing segment of new gun owners. Women are venturing confidently into once taboo, male-dominated spaces without any expected resistance; even finding great support and encouragement among male counterparts. There they discover a whole community of like-minded women who have also ventured there. They emerge safer, more protected, more independent, more connected and more empowered than they had ever dreamed possible. The trend represents the greatest opportunity for gun culture to dispel the myth that gun-ownership is exclusively male and highlights the many positive ways by which the inclusion of women into its sphere contributes substantially to the overall community.