I was in a local gun store the other day, purchasing something for Christmas, and I overheard a discussion that caught my attention almost immediately. A worker in the store was talking with an older gentleman about guns for women. A-ha! Just my cup of tea. Of course my ears perked up. Then again, I’ve probably heard it all by now:
“Buy this pink gun.”
“Get her a .38 Special.”
“Don’t let her have a semi-automatic.”
“Pick out something small…just make sure it’s a revolver.”
A good number of people I have talked with (and overheard) over the years have been very faithfully pointing women shooters in the direction of the reliable, easy-to-use wheel gun. But this conversation, surprisingly, was taking a completely different turn. Instead of suggesting a little double-action revolver, like I expected, the store clerk was telling the man to steer away from revolvers completely and to look, instead, at maybe a Glock 43 or an M&P Shield. Now, I love both of those guns. I have them both and use them for concealed carry as well as for many of the women’s pistol classes I teach. But I was a bit shocked by what I was hearing. This guy was adamant. According to him, revolvers were definitely NOT the way to go. Don’t even consider it!
I was confused. While hosts of folks have been known to recommend a revolver for a woman, I was hearing the exact opposite. And, after asking around to settle my curiosity, I actually discovered that large numbers of people are now saying they would NOT recommend a revolver for a woman. Ever!
What? Is this some sort of anti-revolver movement?
I had to stop and really think about what had transpired. I understand that many people have pushed for ladies to have revolvers because revolvers are, more or less, simple to use and maintain. I also realize that many women can’t rack a slide very effectively or just don’t want to have to fuss with that. And, I have to admit, I have been a somewhat loud voice for people to STOP automatically making assumptions and forcing revolvers on female shooters.
But have we gone too far?
Honestly, this whole ordeal reminds me of teaching objective and subjective personal pronouns. (Yes; I am really incorporating a grammar lesson here!) For instance, a very common mistake is using the objective form of a personal pronoun (“me”) when the subjective case (“I”) is necessary. How many times has a parent or a teacher changed our flawed, “Sally and me are going to the store” to the correct, “Sally and I are going to the store”? We’ve heard that rule so many times, so often, that once in a while we go overboard. We may think that the word “me” is always wrong. And we start to replace “me” with “I” and use the word “I” incorrectly. For example, instead of saying the accurate, “She gave the present to Kelly and me,” we mistakenly say, “She gave the present to Kelly and I.”
Oops.
So here’s the connection: In my crazy brain, I’m thinking that perhaps we have heard the frustrations with giving women revolvers so many times, so often, that now we may be going overboard. Some people may think that revolvers are always wrong, and they are starting to replace revolvers with semi-autos and using semi-autos incorrectly. But revolvers aren’t wrong in every situation for every person … just for some. No one wants to be forced to have a revolver because someone has made an assumption that he or she can’t or won’t use a semi-automatic.
Here’s the bottom line: There are a lot of different guns and a lot of different people with different needs, different preferences and different skill levels. And while I am all for women having semi-automatic handguns, I am also all for women having revolvers. You see, a woman should always choose the gun that is right for her. The one she likes. The one she can use. The one she will train with and carry. And a gun store worker, a loved one, a friend or even an instructor should not be the one to decide that for her. Get to know the shooter first. Find out her skill level, her preferences and her needs. Then let her see some options, ask some questions, shoot a few guns and maybe ask even more questions. And if a Charter Arms Lavender Lady Undercover Lite .38 Special revolver is her choice, then so be it!
As the saying goes: I fully support a woman’s right to choose … whatever gun she wants!
