WOMEN ON TARGET(IN NYC)

Few may know that the Westside Rifle and Pistol Range even exists. It is inconspicuously located in the basement level of a nondescript building in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, and is popular among gun enthusiasts and Second Amendment supporters. And for one afternoon recently, it was the location of an instructional rifle shoot for women sponsored by grants from the National Rifle Association and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. Its aim was to make available to all women, indiscriminately, an opportunity to properly learn and understand how to use a firearm in a "safe, controlled and friendly environment," thus giving women the knowledge and confidence to make "personal decisions about firearms as they pertain to her individual situation."

What could have been an intimidating experience for women who have never held a firearm was made agreeable by Mike Bodner, a four-year NRA-certified volunteer training instructor, who has been actively shooting for the past 7 years. Bodner assured us that this would be a fun time, and as long as we "always follow the safety rules, [we would] never have an accident."

There was quite a bit to absorb during the training session; including basic rifle knowledge, ammunition basics and malfunctions, and the fundamentals of successful shooting. These included position, grip, sight alignment, breath control, trigger squeeze and follow through.

We learned the truth behind commonly misconceived notions about firearms, namely a gun will not go off if the trigger isn't physically pulled by your finger. It won't go off if you drop it, and it won't repeatedly fire away as it falls down a staircase; things commonly seen in Hollywood action films. As Tom King, president of the NYRPA later stated, "guns aren't dangerous. It's the people who have them who are dangerous."

After having our chance to shoot on the range, I watched the reactions of the women as they came back from their first attempts, and all of them had positive experiences.

Pat, a middle-aged woman from Manhattan, came with her friends Eleanor and Marie, who had found out about the shoot by doing an online search for "women's shooting days." This was Pat's first time shooting, and she described the experience to be "good", "loud", and was somewhat surprised the rifle gave "a little bit of a kick" upon firing. She also expressed further interest in shooting handguns.

Melanie, a young Department of Health employee from Queens, was rather hesitant as she awaited her first turn to shoot. She was afraid of the recoil, and stated that while she wanted to learn how to shoot, she didn't know enough about it to feel comfortable. I spoke to her again after her first attempt and she had a different outlook.

"It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be," she said. "[It was] a lot easier than I expected. [It's] not as dangerous as everyone says or [what you see] on TV." When asked if she would be interested in shooting again, Melanie responded, "I think I could take it up as a hobby." She even thought shooting could be a possible way to relax, as long as it was in a controlled setting.

In fact many felt the powerful feeling of shooting a firearm could serve as a positive release for tension and stress; a concept they may not have considered prior to the event. They all expressed interest in attending another shooting event and all enjoyed being out on the firing range.

Across the board, the women showed up because they didn't believe in the stereotype that only men could enjoy shooting, and felt it was important to prove that women can have an interest in firearms as a hobby, not just as a means of self-defense or safety.

Ruth Stokes, a John Jay College student with previous ROTC shooting experience felt that the concept of shooting not being a "woman thing" was "absurd...a woman should be able to do what a man does."

One woman in attendance had a very personal reason for being there. Maluv, a middle-aged woman from Harlem, lost her twenty-year old daughter to gunfire over 20 years ago. Since her daughter's death, she has been plagued by constant nightmares of the sound of gunfire and the image of her daughter being hit. She never imagined she would ever desire to hold a gun, much less fire one, but told me that she came to the rifle shoot to overcome her fears and felt the event would help her on that path. When I asked her how she felt after firing the rifle, she responded, "I feel great."

Maluv's experience represents a success in the aims of events such as Women on Target. While those who are anti-Second Amendment might see Maluv's story as further reason to control the proliferation of firearms with stricter laws or perhaps to ban all firearms to common citizens, those who support and defend the right to bear arms as defined in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution see her silver lining.

Though New York City has extremely restrictive gun control laws, Maluv was able to exercise her rights as an American in a safe and controlled environment, allowing her to begin a path of healing. Perhaps when she finally picked up that .22 rifle for the first time and held it in her hands she felt some initial trepidation. When she found hitting the center of the target was not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be, or that a potentially deadly weapon has the equal potential to be a fun, exciting challenge, it helped her realize the ultimate power rested within her.

I spoke with Mike Bodner after the event to find out why he volunteers to teach programs such as Women on Target. He explained that ultimately, to choose whether or not to shoot a gun is one's right as an American, and he stressed it truly is "your choice." He has helped women to "get rid of [their] intimidation" by bringing them together in a comfortable setting where they realize other like-minded women exist. Once they have experienced being out on the firing range, there are 3 possible reactions:

According to Bodner, most women's responses fall within the first two, with the third being an extreme rarity. In addition, women who were anti-gun before shooting generally take a more neutral stance after shooting.

Of course proper education and awareness minimizes the possibility for harm. The more one understands where the dangers of shooting lies, the less one fears the physical firearm.

As for me, this was only my second time shooting a rifle. But by the end of the day, the instructors were calling me "the Sniper."

New York Young Republican Club, Inc. * P.O. Box 892 * New York, NY 10268-0892<br

...and as long as we "always follow the safety rules, [we would] never have an accident."

Here is my example why this is good advice...

When I began shooting, I was comprehensively instructed on how to safely handle a firearm until the safety measures became as natural as breathing.

Well, one day Mr. S_S29 and I were out shooting when he bent down to retrieve something from the ground with his back to me. My firearm had a hair trigger which, with my finger positions, caused an accidental discharge immediately after loading.

Had I not automatically had the firearm pointing down toward the ground, I would have shot my husband in the back from less then ten feet away with a .45 semi-automatic.

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