Just do not understand, why different??

[todd]

I am not sure if this is the place for this, but I need to vent my view, maybe some light shined on it. I am an Instructor, I work hard to ensure students not only understand the how but more important the why, and all the training is geared toward "self discovery". I know that there are more detailed and better Instructor's out there, I view myself as a gateway, intermediate defensive pistol Instructor. Okay, I don't understand why the Heck women need to have their own classes of training. Yes, I know many Instructor's who are very heavy type A personalities, but same time many are just great Instructors. I know they bond better than men, but women are better shot's from the ground up, because they listen and apply the fundamentals. If there is any thing besides walking, breathing, swimming that makes up equal and for the most part not limited to athletic ability it is shooting. So What the He**?

PS Thank you.

[GardoneVT]

I am not sure if this is the place for this, but I need to vent my view, maybe some light shined on it. I am an Instructor, I work hard to ensure students not only understand the how but more important the why, and all the training is geared toward "self discovery". I know that there are more detailed and better Instructor's out there, I view myself as a gateway, intermediate defensive pistol Instructor. Okay, I don't understand why the Heck women need to have their own classes of training. Yes, I know many Instructor's who are very heavy type A personalities, but same time many are just great Instructors. I know they bond better than men, but women are better shot's from the ground up, because they listen and apply the fundamentals. If there is any thing besides walking, breathing, swimming that makes up equal and for the most part not limited to athletic ability it is shooting. So What the He**?

PS Thank you.

One-less Macho BS. When guys shoot it’s to show off. When women get together at the range they mean business.

Ancillary to that,women also face unique defensive considerations us guys don’t. It’s not sexist or gender discriminatory to point out women have different defensive challenges then is burly tough guys have, and it’s best experienced women teach those challenges from a relatable voice.

[jwperry]

It also keeps their "know it all" husbands/boyfriends/male companions from creating any level of intimidation.

I play safety officer for a LE friend sometimes when he puts on basic shooting classes. If a female is struggling with *anything*, the first thing he normally does is split them from the male they came with. Instant improvement.

[todd]

yes, I agree, they do face different and special "situation's" and certain differences in carrying. Yes, when ever I have a couple in a class, I purposely split then up on the range, to eliminate the frustration of spouse.

[lwt16]

Always easier to train/teach females.

I taught one not too long ago....her husband was right there.....frustrated with her and telling he erroneous info.

I had him back away to the 15 yard line while we stayed at the 7. I put her at ease verbally and then had her focus on the trigger mostly and the sights somewhat.

She went from throwing rounds low to grouping them where they were touching. After a few moments, she was nailing everything she shot at.

He came back up asking her how she was doing so well (because now, she was out-shooting him). She said "I'm doing what he told me to do" referring to me. They are an older couple and apparently, he had been "teaching" her for decades.

[Ed L]

Many women who seek firearms training have no background in it, nor do they know anyone someone competent to instruct them. They may have stereotypes and be intimidated by a standard gun class. For what it is worth I have seen many women in basic classes and even more advanced classes and they did not seem to have any problems.

But some women who are new to guns may be intimidated.

Also, there are issues like incorporating concealment into clothing, etc, that most men are not in a good position to advise about.

I think of it this way--imagine if a guy--knowing nothing about women's cosmetics, decided he wanted to be a Mary Kay representative. Would he feel more comfortable in a class full of women who were using cosmetics all their lives or with a bunch of guys who know nothing about it and are also interested in becoming Mary Kay reps?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

A couple of reasons for female oriented classes. Got them from several feminist oriented books and presentations that were progun.
1. Women may take a course after an incident such as sexual assault or spousal abuse They may not want to discuss such with males.
2 men in class can be harassing sexually or stupid sexist cinnenta. I’ce Seen this.

[Bergeron]

A goal I think that we all share as part of the shooting community is for girls and women to participate in the various aspects of firearms ownership and use at higher rates, ideally at least matching that of boys and men. That divide in relative participation is still there, and we can do great things for the shooting community and for gun rights by reducing it and welcoming more participants.

The isssue of the need for women's specific classes is driven in significant part by the behaivor of men, as evidenced by the stories above, some of which I think we have all seen in some form or another. No matter who you are, getting that first gun and going on those first range trips is an exciting, thrilling event. We'd all rather a new shooter become a regular shooter, instead of a box-a-year, sock drawer paperweight shooter, and that means classes. By having women's classes, we reduce the barriers to the fullest possible entry into the shooting community. There's enough new and different in making the jump to being a classes-taking gunowner, I'd prefer to minimize the risk of intimidating the new shooter who already taking such great steps.

As a big white dude, no one ever questioned me about my hand size or strength when I asked to see H&Ks or Glocks, and I never got tut-tuted about recoil in 10mm or 35 Whelen- enough women have had men do those things to them that producing an environment where that won't happen (and I know it happens often to women) is also a welcoming thing.

There are also real, honest differences carrying a gun with women's fashion versus men's fashion, and that's something that few guys are equipped to intelligently discuss. I know it's beyond my knowledge, so I recommend Kathy Jackson/Cornered Cat to anyone who asks about issues specific to women.

[Lon]

I threw a husband off the range one time. Told him to go sit in his car til we were done but the damage was done. She was already too frazzled. She came back without him and passed with flying colors.

I have had good success teaching with a female instructor. Sometimes when there’s a student that struggles it’s a girl thing that the female Instructor understands where I don’t.

[HCM]

Re: the husband and wife thing, even if the husband actually knows both how to shoot and how to teach the dynamics of the relationship which will limit the effectiveness of the instruction.

You can teach your daughter to shoot, you can teach your sister, cousin, maybe even your mom to shoot but there will always be issues "teaching" a spouse or significant other. It's best left to a 3rd party.