Chicks with Guns

"Level with me - are you just a bunch of man-hating, renegade, femme fatale chicks with guns?"

I love it when people ask me stuff like that about our chapter meetings, because at least guys like that have the nerve to say what they're thinking and give me a chance to reshape that image.

So here's the answer: No - No - No - Yes

I won't speak for everyone in the group, but I think for the most part we are not man-hating. I for one am very happily married to my best friend and know beyond a doubt there is no way I could tackle a project like organizing something like this without his input, understanding, and support. No hating going on there. As for the rest of the men in my life, I've been pretty fortunate to have encountered enough of the good ones to offset the ones that aren't so, well, good. No hating there either. We love you... ...man.

Renegade - n, 1. One who rejects a religion, cause, allegiance, or group for another; a deserter.
                       2. An outlaw; a rebel.
                 adj. Of, relating to, or resembling a renegade; traitorous.
Nope - nothing outlaw-ish or traitorous going on here. The one construct I'll admit to there is rebellion. We refuse to give in to the social standard that guns are for guys. If that makes us rebels, well I've been called worse!

La Femme Fatale - deadly woman. Nothing quite as dramatic as all that. We like to talk tough but the reality is we're all mothers (with or without kids) and as such we are all hardwired to protect life, not destroy it.

So that leaves us as "chicks with guns". That might be over simplifying things a bit but maybe not so much. We spend our meetings discussing lofty goals like self-protection, standing up for our 2nd Amendment rights, and teaching our kids how to handle guns. That's all well and good, but let's get to the point. We LIKE guns! There's nothing wrong with that!! Those of us who have been doing this "gun thing" for a little bit know how beneficial an hour at the range can be for our mood. Compound that with the positive energy we get from being around like-minded women and we're virtually unstoppable. We are well armed women - hear our muzzles ROAR!

And that's the gritty truth behind what we're doing. Society has spent decades convincing us we are the weaker sex, that guns and knives and mud tires are frivolous at best and scary at worst and meant only for neanderthals and rednecks (I can say that b/c I am one!)(redneck that is - I'll apologize to any neanderthals reading this). Those aren't things civilized ladies embrace, surely not something our "sugar and spice" role models would encourage us to enjoy. Does that sound about right for a well-balanced universe?

Well - I'm doing everything I can to rock that universe.

See your daughters have new role models these days. Your daughters live in a world where, if they choose to do so, they can defend the country they love on the front lines of combat right alongside their brothers in arms. Your daughters live in a world where evil exists and won't wait for them to call someone else with a gun to come help them. Your daughters live in a world where stereotypes are broken every day, people are stepping outside their comfort zones, and the only thing growing fast enough to rival the national debt is the number of women joining the ranks of the American gun owner.

Women are breaking away from the constructs that for years have let us believe we aren't supposed to like things like guns. Our group is one of many leading the way. We're educating women in the world of firearms but at the same time we're educating the world about women. We don't have to fit the mold, it's time to forge a new mold that fits us.

Our role models, ladies, frequently ARE chicks with guns. They are Olympic champions bringing home the gold for the USA Shooting team. They are the 73 year old woman attending our meetings learning how to protect herself with a firearm, having fun with other ladies, and refusing to be a victim. They are characters in movies asking "Why do I get the girl gun?!?" They are women who see the line drawn in the sand and refuse to back down from what they know is right.

We're working hard to promote a positive image, not only for our group but for women everywhere. At the end of the day, though, we can't deny... girls wanna have fun. And sometimes... girls wanna have guns!