I guess I'm a unicorn...?

[C_Carson]

My husband took me on a date to the gun show this morning, so I could get a feel for some double stack models that I may like. We were having a good time handling different makes and models, pointing things out to each other, molesting some guns we couldn't afford... It was great.

What kind of weirded me out out, though, was that once the vendors found out that not only was I there because I wanted to be, (not because I'd been dragged along,) but that I was the one shopping around, they all started exclaiming things to my husband, like "You better keep her, man! She's a good one!" or "Any woman that shoots is on my side!"

I think three or four different vendors reacted this way, and two of them asked me directly if I was a shooter based on my handshake alone. (I guess they expect all women to have a wimpy, dainty grip or something? :? )

We had a lot of fun, but half the time I felt like I had a rainbow colored horn on my forehead...are active, gun enthusiastic women really so rare?

 

[fordnut]

Hey...just feel special...You deserve it...

Steve

 

[Midnight Raver]

Gal, you're a REAL american! Hell, you and Enjay are the Forum SuperGals- we couldn't have paid better team members than you two.

My niece/godchild Rachel is like you in many ways, sans children of her own. She's an anomaly in her own rights though. A vegetarian since a very early age, she's always loved blades, bows and firearms since going to day camp. I recently gave her my old leftie bow and her fiance got her an M1 Garand through the CMP program. Rachel wanted one ever since her dad got one not too long ago, now that she has one too she's jumping for joy!

Three cheers for all of you special women out there!!! :mrgreen:

 

[04ctd]

no, you are pretty aggressively into guns, and probably far more knowledgeable than most men.
you made your own concealed rig, you know that is pretty hard core.

my wife is into guy things (harleys, guns, her own drag car, her own SCCA car) and guys always eat her up. when she was younger & skinnier, they really flirted with her. drove her crazy.

i have had a few guys offer to buy her, but she ain't that easy to get rid of.....
no, i mean like seriously. she had her whole arm & shoulder up in the wheel well of her car cleaning it, at the Super Chevy show, and some older guy offered to take her home. (i was ready to ship her stuff UPS)

just enjoy it and roll with it, enjoy being flirted with while you are young & pretty. it all ends way too soon....

and most girls....fall somewhere between annoying and useless. so yeah, if you are A) interested in cool stuff B) not an idiot.
you are pretty rare.



FWIW, one old boy WORE HER OUT at one job, and she wanted me to work on his nose. i knew an easier way....
so i rolled out her best/newest hot rod, and washed & waxed it, had her take it to work next day.
all the fella's was out admiring it in the parking lot, and he asked "who's is it" they told him, and he said "heck, I can't afford her"
and he never talked to her again...

 

[Dave29461]

Face it, you are special. There are others out there but they are much too rare. Adversity might produce more like you but too many aren't up to the challenge. Keep setting an example, you may bring others around and shame the heck out of so males.

Dave

 

[rotarymike]

Whenever I go gun shopping with my wife, *for* my wife, everyone tries their damndest to steer her to the 'pink' guns. Every time. In every store we've been in in two different states.

My wife is not a "pink" person. She does not wear pink, like pink, own anything pink that I can recall.

I would like to think that not all gun dealers are misogynists. I can give the really older guys a pass - they're just old-fashioned. But everyone else, including the occasional female...

That or they ignore her, even after we've made it clear we're shopping specifically for her.

Really gave her a sour view of the whole hobby. We ended up buying her pistol online, so she wouldn't have to deal with the idiots.

 

[TheGriff]

My wife had a similar experience while shopping for a firearm.

Just like Mike's wife she "is not a 'pink' person. She does not wear pink, like pink, own anything pink that I can recall." lol

She was looking for a .22 and the guy behind the counter immediately offered her the pink version of a Walther P22. She then retorts "Why pink? Is that YOUR preference?"

The guy was dumbstruck and I just sniggered and walked away. We didn't buy anything that day.

 

[C_Carson]

Fordnut and Raver...

no, you are pretty aggressively into guns, and probably far more knowledgeable than most men.
you made your own concealed rig, you know that is pretty hard core.

my wife is into guy things (harleys, guns, her own drag car, her own SCCA car) and guys always eat her up. when she was younger & skinnier, they really flirted with her. drove her crazy.

i have had a few guys offer to buy her, but she ain't that easy to get rid of.....
no, i mean like seriously. she had her whole arm & shoulder up in the wheel well of her car cleaning it, at the Super Chevy show, and some older guy offered to take her home. (i was ready to ship her stuff UPS)

just enjoy it and roll with it, enjoy being flirted with while you are young & pretty. it all ends way too soon....

and most girls....fall somewhere between annoying and useless. so yeah, if you are A) interested in cool stuff B) not an idiot.
you are pretty rare.



FWIW, one old boy WORE HER OUT at one job, and she wanted me to work on his nose. i knew an easier way....
so i rolled out her best/newest hot rod, and washed & waxed it, had her take it to work next day.
all the fella's was out admiring it in the parking lot, and he asked "who's is it" they told him, and he said "heck, I can't afford her"
and he never talked to her again...

See, part of what I love about you guys here is that y'all respect a woman shooter, and don't go to the extreme of misogynists or flirty. I can hang with the guys and talk about cool stuff. It's awesome!

 

[C_Carson]

Face it, you are special. There are others out there but they are much too rare. Adversity might produce more like you but too many aren't up to the challenge. Keep setting an example, you may bring others around and shame the heck out of so males.

Dave

I have to give credit to my Dad; he wanted us to be able to shoot, turn a wrench, and balance a check book. He didn't believe in "ornamental" women, and neither do I!

 

[C_Carson]

RotaryMike & TheGriff; I can totally relate to your wives. Pink is NOT my thing, and I have no qualms saying in front of dealers how I can't understand why someone would ruin a perfectly good gun like that. :lol: Give me matte black, stainless steel or nickel plating any day!!!

I've also been on the receiving end of the misogynistic gun sellers, and that's the biggest reason I'll never go back to Allen Arms. We either buy privately or from Bob at Upstate Armory Group. It is so frustrating to encounter that attitude, and a little disconcerting when you run into the opposite, like I did at the gun show. I don't think of myself as "special", so it's weird to me when I get that treatment.

 

[rotarymike]

Gun culture is overwhelmingly paternalistic; I understand why, but I'm pretty sure that aspect of it is what drives urbanites away from it (men and women both) and keeps women from wanting to be in visible advocate positions. The 'it's a fine tradition' aspect might be what dooms responsible firearms ownership in the long run.

This is why I'm building a rifle for my daughter (she's 1, I figure I got a dozen years or so to get it done). I also intend for her to know her way around my garage. I don't want her to be a mechanic, but I want her to be able to do things for herself. If I can impart to her a way of figuring out how things work, I'll be happy.

I might get into some marital discord if I try and teach her to hunt, although I think it is important for kids to know what a nugget looks like on the hoof, as it were. Maybe I can get away with fishing.

My father did none of the normal dad-son things with me. My stepdad tried too hard to make up for lost time, and over-emphasized some things. I did learn to fish, hunt, and shoot, but I still can't catch a ball or throw a football at all. I don't want my daughter to feel that some things are boy-fun and some things are girl-fun; I just want her to know what she likes, and know what she can do. I know I'm not explaining this very well but I'm sure other parents will understand.

 

[04ctd]

If I can impart to her a way of figuring out how things work, I'll be happy....l but I'm sure other parents will understand.

exactly, i bought my Gdaugther a box of LEGO's last month, we put one toy together each week, looked at instructions, tried to follow them

showed her how it worked, how it did not, just trying to get her to "thinking"

if you can solve problems...you can solve anything. i taught my daughters to "accomplish one thing" each day, and I love they way they ATTACK stuff and get stuff done in their life. i know a bunch of guys who NEVER get anything done.

my wife was supposed to bring our womens group from church to ATP for "womens night"
i might have to push that issue back to the surface and make it happen.

 

[Dave29461]

My son-in-law was surprised to find out my daughter had more and better tools than he did and knew how to use them. She also had more and better guns than him and was a better shot. I'm very proud of my children.