From a Female Perspective
By : Jessica Sawicki
My parents have owned Maxon Shooters Supply in Des Plaines, IL since I was eight years old. Because of this, I have never felt uncomfortable walking through the doors of a gun shop. For most other women, a gun shop is a strange and foreign land that they would never consider just walking into without a lot of research and some backup. I am an NRA Certified Instructor, and teach a Basics of Pistol Shooting Course every Sunday. In my classes, usually a third or more of the students are female. They all look at me with a sigh of relief when they walk in and see that they are not going to be the only female in the building that night.
Through the years I have seen so many women get really excited about shooting. I love to watch their reactions the first time they pull the trigger. It is usually a brief moment of surprise, followed by a giant grin after they look at their target. They love it, and they are good at it. The problem is, unless these women have other shooters in their life, they probably won't walk back in the door. I figured it was up to us to change that.
The idea behind Ladies Night at Maxon's is to give women a chance to shoot with other women. Part of the evening is spent learning about different aspects of the sport that they may want to pursue. The rest of the evening is spent shooting. Ladies Night is usually the last Saturday of every month, and you can find out more about each night's events on www.maxonshooters.com. You can also e-mail me at gungirl@comcast.net for more information.
I encourage anyone who may be interested in attending to show up and see what it is all about. In order to participate on the range, some training and a FOID card is necessary. Participants may bring their own firearm, or rent one of ours. The evening is not a class on how to shoot, but I always try to find speakers to present valuable information on how women can improve their skills. Training is always available to those who seek it, and I regularly open up all female training classes when I get enough interest. If you or anyone you know may be interested in Ladies Night, please join us. You are always welcome at Maxon's.
