On The Wild Side

You know the type. He might be a regular at the gun club, or he’s there with his buddies for a day shoot or maybe he’s by himself zeroing his rifle. He eyes you with your firearm, and as soon as he can get a moment alone with you, he sidles up. “Hey Lil’ Lady…” it starts…and even if he doesn’t say it out loud, you just know he’s thinking it. He tells you why you’re doing whatever you’re doing is wrong. He tells you how to do whatever you’re doing better. He offers to help. If you’re a woman, and you’ve spent any time on the range at all-especially if you’ve been unattended-you’ve probably met the “Hey Little Lady” type.

I’ve been the subject of a “Hey Little Lady” more than a few times. I don’t want to use the word “victim,” because by and large these fellows (almost always men-go figure) mean well, and I always try to take comments in the spirit with which they are delivered. But sometimes it does feel a bit like I’m a target (ouch). After all, I’m just a gal trying to work her guns and technique, thank you…and excuse me, but could you move out of my way? Both physically and figuratively? I’m not saying that my or your way is the only way, but if we’ve spent any time studying these things, we want to have the chance to practice them, too. And we can do it on our own.

Visit NRA Family for the entirety of How to Deal With Unsolicited Advice on the Range.

The gun didn’t fire. Now what?

There you are practicing at the range, committed to your marksmanship basics, peering intently at the front sight as you control your trigger press….anddddd…..CLICK.

How can this be? You’ve done everything right. You’re shooting factory loaded ammunition. Your firearm is squeaky clean and minty fresh.

Get over it. In fact, accept it. As with any mechanical device, things can go wrong with your pistol, and they will. Your acceptance of this will allow you to stay calm and fix the issue to your best ability. Your job is to know which problems you can solve—and how.

Read the rest of the article at NRA Family Insights.

Being ready to quickly exit a dangerous situation requires more than having a bag with a few necessities stashed in the closet.

I was comfortably nestled in the pillows with my dog, Peabody, watching TV when the phone rang.

After answering a voice exclaimed, “Il Ling!”

“Yes,” I replied, wondering why the voice sounded so urgent.

“Are you home?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a fire on the road (there’s one main road into my neighborhood) and it’s moving fast….get out now!”

Quickly I understood the urgency, and recognized the voice of our volunteer fire chief.

And with that, I was challenged with a self-defense problem—one that could not be resolved with even the most skilled use of any firearm.

Read the rest of the article at American Rifleman.