Carrie Lightfoot: The seemingly endless pandemic, coupled with the very real fear of social unrest in communities across the country, has seen women stepping into armed self-protection en masse. Prolonged exposure to rioting and violence — and the accompanying stress we’re experiencing — has many women realizing we could be witnessing a systemic and very long-term change to our society and personal security. Karen Butler: The more civil unrest we find ourselves in, the more women take responsibility for being their own protectors. It’s our experience: Every time there are any emergencies such as a natural disaster, terrorist attack, mass shooting, pandemic or civil unrest, we see a bump in gun sales. Uncertainty makes people uneasy, and their desire to be Women love to see, touch and try products in person, so it’s important for gun stores and ranges to showcase the products designed specifically for women.” Carrie Lightfoot, Owner The Well Armed Woman able to provide for self rises in priority. SI: How has your organization remained nimble and welcoming to the new female gun owners? Carrie Lightfoot: With the advent of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, TWAW Shooting Chapters quickly brought virtual communities to life — not only to meet the needs of existing members, but also to embrace and welcome new women gun owners. We quickly began working with and training TWAW Chapter Leaders to use available online platforms and how to best use social media to meet the needs of women self-protectors. Virtual meetings and events have been key to creating the welcoming and encouraging community we are known for. Karen Butler: During COVID, we immediately utilized Facebook Live to focus our messaging on safety. Topics included firearms safety, kids and the shooting sports, range etiquette, gun cleaning, archery and hunting. We involved our partners and invited employees, influencers, pro shooters and other individuals to help connect with new female gun owners. It’s a great way for women to learn from brands they’ve heard of in a casual, relatable atmosphere. Robyn Sandoval: The COVID pandemic forced us to be agile in communicating with our members and re-imagining our 2020 annual conference at the end of April. The event typically draws 400–450 women from around the U.S., but this year we delivered a successful virtual experience, and even though it was last minute, teamwork and communication made it work. SI: Have you developed any new programs or initiatives to encourage new female gun owners? Karen Butler: At the height of the COVID lockdown, we hosted three Facebook Live events per week to connect with our audience. Once we were able to get our trailer on the road again, we updated our operating procedures to accommodate masks, social distancing and all the CDC and state guidelines. Robyn Sandoval: AG & AG began a virtual “Girl’s Night Out” every Tuesday evening where members from across the country join us for firearms training from the comfort of their homes. We cover a wide variety of useful topics for new shooters — ranging from situational awareness to gun maintenance and drawing from a holster. Of course, firearms safety is always a primary theme. Carrie Lightfoot: We have two online courses to meet the needs of women new to guns and carrying concealed. Women can grow and learn from wherever they choose while building confidence and preparing a solid foundation of knowledge before participating in live-fire training with an instructor. Women & Guns: The Basics provides safety fundamentals and essential tips for women new to gun ownership, and Concealed Carry For Women walks them through concealed carry and concealed carry holsters. SI: How has the increase in new gun owners impacted your instructors? Carrie Lightfoot: TWAW Certified Instructors and Shooting Chapter Leader Instructors have seen a huge increase in requests for training. Social distancing requirements make it difficult to meet the demand because of reduced class size requirements, and the availability of range space poses additional challenges. Our instructors are training people full-time and have never been busier. One of our certified instructors told me she’s “exhilarated.” She said the smiles on her students’ faces drive her to keep going, and “the women who are worried and concerned out there need us.” Karen Butler: Even when our Shoot Like A Girl trailer is not at an event, our instructors are busier than ever. They live and breathe the shooting sports so they can make every interaction at the Shoot Like A Girl trailer an impactful one. Robyn Sandoval: We’ve seen a lot more women new to owning guns but it hasn’t changed what we do. AG & AG specializes in the orientationlevel, beginner shooter and we introduce them to range etiquette and firearm safety in a welcoming environment rich with opportunities to ask questions and learn comfortably. With the added interest, we get to interact with even more ladies. SI: How have the pandemic and social turmoil impacted existing shooters? Karen Butler: I’ve seen the firearms industry embrace all the new gun owners to help them learn firearm safety and safe storage. More and more people are being introduced to the shooting sports by friends, coworkers, colleagues and family members. Robyn Sandoval: Many of our events have transitioned December 2020 Shooting Industry 53
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