"I was a victim of a crime. A rape crime," says a woman who wants to remain anonymous. A .38 Special is her weapon of choice. And she knows how to use it.
"I was quite scared of guns. They scared me to death,"
That was before she met Tina Wilson-Cohen. Wilson-Cohen is a National Rifle Association (NRA) certified firearms instructor and the founder of the Protected Citizens Shooting Academy in Centreville, Virginia which is home to the Shooting Divas
"The Shooting Divas of DMV was just sort of an afterthought," says Wilson-Cohen. "After teaching as an NRA instructor I researched hoping to find something just for women. Women teaching other women in firearms and self-defense. And I really didn't find anything. So I went out to Meet-Up.com and I started the Shooting Divas of the DMV. And that was in November. Within 24-hours I had 99 members. Female members. So that's telling me there's this huge desire out there.
"They empower each other. We all understand each other. Because we have a gun. And people that don't have a gun, my friends in particular, they don't particularly like that because they don't like guns because they've never touched one. But we get each other."
"I want them [women] to be able to take away that they can be very, very, very good marksmen. Just as well as a man. Regardless of their body size and regardless of their age," says Wilson-Cohen. "I also believe that law enforcement are there to enforce the law. And it's up to us to be able to protect ourselves."
Gun shop owners and the NRA will tell you, anecdotally, more women are buying guns.
One member of the Shooting Divas says "It's like putting on lipstick. It's just part of my make-up." She says. "I'm not going to be a victim anymore," says 38-Special. "I'm a survivor. And I want to continue to be a survivor. And so my gun protects me and it empowers me."
http://wusa9.com/news/article/151968/77/Women-Taking-Aim-More-Women-Buying-Guns
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