Quote:
Originally Posted by Bello
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You just made my wife vomit.
My wife was open about my owning a gun, and purchased me a ruger 10/22 for my birthday this year, after doing research together on a good "beginner's gun" that would work well for both myself and for her. I intentionally chose a firearm that wouldn't have much recoil and wasn't high-maintenance, because I knew if she came home with bruises from her first day at the range, she'd be likely not to like it.
So, when we came home from buying the gun at cabela's, we sat down and took it apart together, referencing youtube videos to make sure we were disassembling it properly (we couldn't get the pins out to get the trigger assembly, we thought we were doing something wrong when it was just stiff).
Sitting down and learning about gun safety (which I was well versed in, my father and boy scouts having drilled that into me when I was very young) while also having the hands-on experience of working the gun made her feel confident about it.
When we eventually got to the range, she knew how to clean the rifle and field-strip it, and now is at the point that she is avidly excited about the scope she bought for the rifle, and can't wait to get it sighted in. She's gets pretty unhappy if we can't go to the range on a given week.
I think that, for the most part, women tend to be put off by guns due to the actions of men. I typically see the following behaviors that men do that pretty much get women off guns.
1. Handing a woman a high-power rifle, giving her little to no knowledge or warning that it is going to have a massive kick, causing them to injure themselves when they fire.
2. Insisting that it is a "man thing" and treating women with genuine interest with ridicule.
3. Not involving the significant other in the purchase, maintenance, and care of a firearm. I mean, if you constantly say "don't touch that!" when she picks up the trigger assembly while you're cleaning the gun, you're turing guns into a point of animosity. Besides, as long as no actual danger can come from the action, it's best to learn by experience (like when my wife pulled the trigger on while it was disassembled from the receiver to see how the thing worked mechanically, and sent the hammer spring flying across the living room. That was a bonding experience, because we had to learn to fix that problem, which leads to more confidence.
That's my experience, by the way. Now, my wife is looking at buying a M&P 15/22 (which, by the way, is that actually shorter than a 10/22? She's looking to buy a shorter/lighter gun than the ruger that also uses the .22 LR)
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