To Women Who Want To Purchase A Firearm – But Don’t Know Where To Start!
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Support the Second Amendment: Join the National Rifle Association (NRA) at a discounted rate now! Here are the Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Join the NRA Today!
If you are a woman that wants to purchase a firearm but don’t know where to start, this blog post is for you!
It’s about a friend of mine who had the same problem as you and what we did to overcome it!
My friend was applying for her pistol license in Westchester County, NY, and had to purchase a firearm before she could submit her pistol license application.
Unfortunately, in NYS, she could not try a firearm before buying it because she was not allowed to hold a pistol without a pistol license; so, how did she know which one to buy?
Her best option was to go to a State where she could rent and shoot firearms without a pistol license.
So, that is what we did!
We went to a range in Connecticut, where my friend, who does not have a pistol license, could shoot. Furthermore, they had various guns for us to rent!
First, my friend needed “eyes and ears.”
Next, we went over the rules of gun safety, and the fundamentals, such as aiming, stance, grip, breathing, trigger control, follow-through, loading a magazine, inserting a magazine into the magazine well, locking the slide back (if you need help with locking the slide back, you can watch this short video) and ejecting the magazine.
My friend enjoyed using my Maglula Uplula Universal Pistol Magazine Loader to help her load ammunition into the magazines!
Then I hung up a white piece of paper as a target (about 3 yards away) and my friend practiced all the techniques she had learned with some dry firing until she felt ready to shoot a live round.
Although many new shooters start with a .22 caliber firearm, this shooting range did not have a Glock 44, and my friend knew she wanted to purchase a Glock, so she started with the Glock 19 Gen 4, which is a 9mm.
With close supervision, she took her first shot and… she loved it! She felt empowered and excited and was ready for more!
She shot the Glock 19 Gen 4 several more times. While she was glad it was the first gun she fired, she thought it was too large for her petite hands and she did not feel comfortable with having to readjust her grip after every shot.
Then she tried the Glock 43, which is also a 9mm but has a smaller grip than the Glock 19. She enjoyed shooting the Glock 43 but thought it was better suited as a concealed carry gun because of its shorter barrel length and limited magazine capacity (the Glock 43 holds 6 rounds whereas the Glock 19 holds 10 rounds in NY).
Next, we both tried the Sig Sauer P365. This grip seemed smaller than the Glock 43’s yet it held 10 rounds (instead of 6). I liked the way the grip felt in my hands and felt less recoil than with the Glock 43; I think I would enjoy having the Sig Sauer P365 as an option for concealed carry. My friend’s opinion was that it was “too small and slippery.”
Then we tried the Glock 43X, which we both loved for its grip size and magazine capacity (10 rounds)! The longer grip made it more enjoyable to hold and to shoot than the Glock 43.
We wanted to try the Glock 48, but it was unavailable for us to rent. My friend was leaning towards purchasing the Glock 48 because it is similar in size to the Glock 43X but has a slightly longer barrel. Longer barrels are better for accuracy and distance, and target shooting!
Before we left, we got washed up using lead removing hand soap.
When my friend got home, her NRA membership card was waiting for her in her mailbox!
Support the Second Amendment: Join the National Rifle Association (NRA) at a discounted rate now! Here are the Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Join the NRA Today!
It was a lot of fun to be there to support my friend on her firearm journey and help her build a solid foundation!
According to my friend “trying out the guns with you really affirmed for me what I knew... that I would love target shooting! You were so kind to spend the time educating me further and teaching me. Shooting the different guns was indeed fun, educational, and empowering. I told a friend today how this was one of the most empowering experiences of my adult life.”
*Update: My friend and I returned to the shooting range the following weekend and were able to rent the Glock 48. We both loved it! We felt a little less recoil than with the Glock 43X. Since then, my friend has purchased the Glock 48, and the FFL is holding onto it until her pistol license application is approved.
Once she has her pistol license, she will need a safe and shooting range gear!
I hope that sharing our experience will encourage you to:
Go to a range that allows you to rent and shoot guns!
Ask a knowledgeable friend to go with you. If you don’t have one, you can ask the range if they have an instructor you can hire to help you!
Try various firearms until you find the one that you like best! If you are unsure of which models to try, you can try some of the models mentioned above.
Utilize the links provided above to purchase your shooting range gear and join the NRA!
Continue to educate yourself and learn more about firearms!
You may also be interested in reading the following blog posts:
If you know a woman who is interested in purchasing a firearm, then please share this blog post with her!
About the Author: Lori Corini is an attorney admitted to practice law in the state of New York, an NRA Pistol Instructor and Range Safety Officer, a NYS licensed armed guard, and Director of Safety and Security and a Board Member at her Church.
This blog post was written by a female NRA Pistol Instructor and discusses an actual day at the range, renting and shooting various guns, with a beginner woman shooter! Some of the topics that are discussed include: best guns for women beginners, eye and electronic ear protection, firearm safety, targets, range bags, cleaning kits and more! #bestgunforbeginners #bestgunsforwomen
Support the Second Amendment: Join the National Rifle Association (NRA) at a discounted rate now!