When I agreed to sign up for the Women’s Defensive Pistol class put on by VATA, Vulnerability Assessment and Threat Analysis, it sounded like a fun thing to do with a group of girlfriends on a Saturday. The morning the class rolled around, I looked at my husband and asked him how I’d gotten myself into this. Despite the nervous energy in the pit of my stomach, I took the pistol, ammo, and equipment my husband had gathered up for me and headed to the range.
I grew up around guns. My dad hunted and killed an occasional rattlesnake on a country road, and my husband carries and has a number of guns around the house. Despite being in the proximity of guns, I had very little hands-on experience shooting. If I ever did shoot, someone else had loaded the gun, put my hands in position, and all I had to do was pull the trigger. With this lack of experience, my primary emotion around guns was one of fear. I trusted my husband to properly handle a firearm, but I did not trust myself.
When I arrived for the VATA course, I realized several of the other women in the class were equally nervous about the day. We immediately began to encourage each other because we were in this together!
We began our training in the classroom. Greg Lapin put us at ease by making the topics of gun safety and self defense relatable and understandable. Never once did he talk down to us because of our lack of experience. Instead he taught things at a comfortable pace for new shooters, leaving plenty of time to answer our questions. We talked about the basics of stance, grip, sight alignment and picture, trigger control, breathing, and follow through. Then the time came to move out from the classroom to the range.
As we stepped out of our cars, the nerves picked back up for many of us. It was one thing to talk about shooting, another to actually do it. Greg and our trainers assisted us in getting our holsters and gear set up, but also made sure not to do it all for us, assuring that we would end the day comfortable with handling our firearms and equipment ourselves.
Stepping up to the line, we practiced our grips and stances. The trainers complimented our willingness to learn and take directions. With no place for ego or fear, we focused on the task at hand. The most eye opening experience of the day came with the first round we shot. As Greg explained it, shooting essentially creates a small explosion in front of your face. When the sound and the feeling of the gun going off in your hands are brand new, it can be jarring--but also exhilarating.
We spent the rest of the day working on our efficiency. I appreciated that the guys at VATA really thought about things a woman shooter would need to know, particularly when it comes to self defense. We practiced shooting through a purse, how to clear a jam, and what to do if forced to take a shot in close contact. We even discussed the specific challenges women can face with our smaller size and the kinds of safety risks we could face.
By the end of the day, I can only think of one word to describe the attitude of our group—empowered. As we removed our holsters, the ladies discussed next steps—more training, new classes, and what we could do to continue to learn and practice. Seeing women or any new shooters come to the realization that we can take more control of our safety and our lives can only serve to provide us with more freedom and confidence.
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