The Academy's first-ever Women's Introduction to Firearms & Self Defense class was a big success. Twenty-two women signed up for the course held at the Holiday Inn-Elk Grove. The ladies were introduced to four of the most prolific firearms found in households throughout the United States. The Smith & Wesson revolver, the Glock striker-fired pistol, a Mossberg 500 pump shotgun, and an AR-15 carbine.
As with all ATTS courses the first topics covered in the class was home firearm safety, safe storage of firearms, and proper gun handling techniques. We constantly stressed the importance of keeping their finger off the trigger until they are ready to actually fire a round, and to never point a firearm at anything they are not willing to destroy, including their own body parts.
The ladies then went hands on and learned how to load and unload a revolver with loose rounds and two different types of speedloaders. They also loaded and unloaded the Glock pistol until both drills were done to our satisfaction. The ladies were also shown the safe and proper handling techniques for the long guns including the loading and unloading techniques for the pump shotgun and the AR-15 carbine. About a third of the ladies present went hands on with the long guns.
We then discussed self defense with a firearm in their home and if they were out of town with a valid concealed carry permit and the legal ramifications that could occur. A well-designed civilian Use of Force Continuum with accompanying Power-Point slides covered this topic thoroughly.
All in all this eight-hour block of training was a huge success. The ladies came away with a couple of new skills and the self confidence of knowing that they are capable of defending their home's, their family members and themselves if the situation ever presents itself.
