Finch - Female and armed : a womans guide to advanced situational awareness, concealed carry, and defensive shooting techniques

Copyright 2015 by Lynne Finch

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Qualcom Designs

Cover photo credit Thinkstock

Print ISBN: 978-1-63220-525-4

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220-911-5

Printed in China

For my students, who inspired me to teach and encouraged me to never stop learning.

Contents

Table of Figures

Foreword

W omen and guns has always been a hot topic in American culture, but women were often typecast as either Annie Oakley or a damsel in distress. Gila Hayes and Paxton Quigley began changing the paradigm in the 90s when they led the charge promoting self-defense tools, accessories, and education. In 2011, a new womens movement started within the firearms industry when social organizations and educational opportunities became tailored for women. Although training techniques did not change much, they began to be presented in a language women related to and understood. Four years later, we are finally seeing products designed for womennot just painted pink, but created with form and function in mind. And, most importantly, we are gaining acceptance among our male counterparts so we dont have to play the Annie or the damsel role, but just ourselves.

According to National Sporting Goods Associations Annual Sports Participation reports, total shooting (hunting and target shooting) participation grew 8.8 percent from 28.4 million in 2006 to 31.0 million in 2013. Participation among men only increased 1.1 percent, while female participation leaped 42 percent! So what exactly happened to awaken so many women? There are several plausible answers and that is the beauty of this Golden Age for Female Gun Owners as Kathy Jackson of The Cornered Cat has named it. Women have joined for self-defense, recreation, and/or athletic sport, and have made a tremendous impact on the shooting industry.

In 2014 the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) commissioned a comprehensive study to understand female gun owners behaviors and attitudes that influences their participation in shooting activities. The study also looked at social and environmental factors that create both opportunities and barriers to women shooting. The resulting NSSF report Women Gun Owners: Purchasing, Perceptions, and Participation by Laura Kippen, president of the research firm InfoManiacs, stated: This research yielded a variety of key takeaways that, when implemented, should keep the trend of female participation in shooting activities moving upward.

The NSSF study analyzed responses from 1,000 women on a variety of topics from where women purchase guns, where they get training, and purchasing plans and preferences. The report concluded that women that had some form of firearms training were both spending and participating more than women that did not have training.

An organization that provides training and encourages long-term participation is A Girl & A Gun Womens Shooting League (AG & AG). When I founded the club in early 2011, the intention was to have a place for women to gather for a Girls Night Out at the range for fellowship, fun, and of course, development of important life skills in regards to firearms. The organization grew nationally only a short six months after its inception to eighty chapters across the country at the close of 2014.

I witnessed the first wave of women introduced to firearms settling in and figuring out how they fit into a historically male-dominated activity, while the second, third, and fourth waves jumped into welcoming arms of ranges and retailers. The firearms industry continued to reach out to women shooters; however, they were having their own awakening that women needed gender-specific products and that they had significant purchasing power in the market. It has been an exciting time to work together with other leading women to change views in the industry.

Lynne Finch is not only a leader in this latest womens movement, but she is a trailblazer as well. Lynne burst onto the national scene in June 2012 with Take Your Daughter to the Range Day (known today as Daughters at the Range). When the industry was beginning to focus on women, she turned the spotlight towards the next generation of firearm ownersour daughters! Her contributions to the womens movement also include two previous books, Taking Your First Shot and The Home Security Handbook , which guide women through the maze of ownership, education, and personal responsibility. Her third installment, Female and Armed takes you to the next level by exploring the question, Whats next to learn? Oh, there is so much to learn!

As you read along, you will find that Lynnes delivery is a comfortable, approachable conversation with a friend about a very serious topic. She revisits fundamentals and answers many questions that women shooters may encounter in their training: What are the variations of ammunition? Why do I need that gun or this accessory? What do I do if I have to go hand-to-hand with an attacker? This guide helps you develop your personal training plan so that you do not respond to a threat as a damsel in distress. Instead, Lynne gives you knowledge, correct terminology, and the confidence of Annie Oakley to walk into a class full of our male counterparts and excel!

Julianna Crowder
Founder & President
A Girl and A Gun Womens Shooting League, LLC
www.AGirlandAGun.org

Introduction

I n my first book, Taking Your First Shot , I wrote about how much fun shooting is and how to get started. I also added some basic self-defense moves that are easy and that you dont have to have ninja-level skills to accomplish. This book came about because so many women wrote to ask for something with more advanced techniques. So after lots of research and practice (I didnt want to suggest anything I was too afraid to try, couldnt do, or that didnt work for me Im not in great shape, have my share of achy places, and have a healthy fear of breaking something that comes with being over forty and finding out I dont bounce like I did when I was twenty), here we are Female and Armedpacked full of advanced defensive techniques for womensome are with a gun, some without. But I want to emphasize here, and you will see this again:

YOUR BEST DEFENSE IS TO NOT
NEED A DEFENSE!

What does that mean? You are aware, you are alert, and you make every effort to avoid the situation that requires an armed or physical response. Anytime you find yourself in one of those situations, you are at serious risk of injury or even death. That is the harsh reality. Be prepared, learn the skills, but use your situational awareness and your intuition to the maximum extent possible. Practicing can be a lot of fun, but the reality of a confrontation can be harsh. If you find yourself in a bad situation that requires a response, do just enough to get away. This isnt about being tough, strong, or even afraid. Staying in a fight after you have a chance to get away changes everything. The longer you are in a confrontation, the greater the risk of you being injured or killed. If you had a chance to escape and didnt, that may also taint your position under the law. Dont put yourself in more dangerdo what you have to do to escape and then call the police. Always call the police as soon as you have reached safety. Better they hear your side first and start looking for your attacker than to hear from someone else about the crazy lady screaming in the parking lot. At that point, they are looking for you and not the criminals, giving them time to go assault someone else.