Women and Guns

R. L. Wilson’s Silk and Steel, a just-released and richly illustrated encyclopedic history of women interested in firearms, is receiving strongly positive reviews, according to the NSSF’s Bullet Points newsletter, in part for revealing little-known facts about women’s contributions to recreational shooting. Dame Juliana Berners, an English nun, for instance, wrote the first book on hunting in 1486. And, in 1851, women comprised half the working gunsmiths in London.

Women and Guns Another book, Blown Away: American Women and Guns, is in the final stages of production for release in April. It presents a much more contemporary examination of the sociological and political issues concerning women about guns. Journalist Caitlin Kelly, who attended one of NSSF’s "Aiming for Accuracy" media seminars, pulls no punches in her investigative work.

It’s an in-depth scrutiny of issues defining perceptions in popular culture about firearms and the reasons why American women want to own them. Invitation to New Women Hunters. The NRA’s Women On Target ® program continues to increase sporting opportunities for the fastest-growing segment of the hunting community. The program had barely announced its ladies-only hunting schedule for 2004 and early 2005 before several of the events sold out. But there is still time to register for others.

Eleven hunts are offered in game-rich locations throughout the country, offering women of all experience levels the chance for success in the company of other women who love the outdoors. Giving women a good hunting experience and the chance to meet others of like mind are equal goals of the program. Registration forms and additional details about the 2004 and early 2005 hunts may be obtained by calling or by visiting More Diversity in the Shooting Sports. Kenneth V. F.

Blanchard, formerly in federal law enforcement and nowa pro-gun activist known on the internet as Blackmanwithagun.com, seeks to reach other African-American gun owners, hunters, military and law-enforcement personnel, trainers, and novices interested in the shooting sports. In the early 90s, Blanchard founded the Tenth Cavalry Gun Club, named for the famous "Buffalo Soldiers," with chapters in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, and Washington, DC.

His web site has been around since 1997, and already has a fan base in six other countries outside the U. S. "Americans of color have been apart of the gun culture since the country was colonies…" says Blanchard. "We still are sometimes a segregated society where it comes to firearms.

I’m looking to change that so that we can profit from both the inclusion of what’s going on and the power of being connected with others who like the same things." "If you have African-American friends who hunt, shoot, or participate in the shooting sports, please send them an invitation to contact me." Blanchard can be reached at or at Kenn@ Black manwithagun.com. Editor Keith Lawrence Technical