Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Women, Their Reasons For Gun Ownership, And What That Means For Your Business

By Wayne D. Richardson


Nearly 9 million firearm background checks were filed in the United States from January 2012 through the end of June 2012, according to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). A topic discussed in many articles is the increase of women pursuing gun ownership. In fact, 43% of women report personally owning a gun in 2011, as compared to only 13% in 2005 (Saad; Carroll). With more women owning guns and more women interested in firearms in general, it is important that a gun store intentionally market to women, ensuring that they feel welcome and safe in what is traditionally a male dominated industry (Bestul; McCombie). Women have different views on and reasons for owning firearms. The following article will outline two of these views and potential marketing techniques for those ideals.
[Handguns For Women]


Yesterday I was asked my opinion about Glocks. I said that what I thought didn't matter; it wasn't my money or my safety on the line. My preference does not matter in the decision to buy your gun. My wife likes Glocks; I feel the same about revolvers. Our preferences differ. As long as you know your gun, why you chose it, and it fits your needs, then it's the best gun for you. Now, that being said lets discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the two main types of handguns, semi-automatics and revolvers.

Through your advertising, you must display knowledge, and the ability to instill self-confidence in these customers through proper firearms training, whether through willingness to give advice, offering her discounts on training and practice time if your store is equipped to do so, or to encourage her to pursue courses through a local facility. To help make these women comfortable in your store, the addition of a female employee to assist them with their decisions would be a wise business choice. Other options include: carrying feminine firearms and accessories (i.e. guns with color options, conceal carry accessories designed for women, firearms that are fitted to the female anatomy, in regards to both strength and build issues, etc.), displaying gender-neutral decorations in the store, and avoiding political propaganda and divisive conversations, as much as possible.

Another type of female consumer, who is generally rarer, is the avid shooter. She has likely been around guns all of her life, shoots with regularity, and has no qualms about firearms (Blair). This woman likely spends a lot of time in gun stores, and feels fairly comfortable regardless of decor or the gender of employees, although a female employee and neutral decor is still beneficial. However, care should be taken not to assume that she is inexperienced with firearms. Employees should be sure to treat her with respect and courteousness at all times, even before he or she is sure of how much experience that this customer has.

Revolvers do have disadvantages, and it is because of these disadvantages that police departments around the county have changed from them to semi-automatics. These disadvantages should be understood if the reader wishes to make a decision; therefore I will list them:Revolvers are slower to reload than the typical semi-automatic. They are sometimes harder to conceal, due to width of cylinder. Revolvers do not normally hold as many rounds (5-6rds compared to 8 or 10rds in a semi-automatic.Because a revolver contains separate chambers for each round, to fully load a revolver, the operator must put a round in each chamber (6 actions for 6 rounds). To fully load a semi-automatic the operator has to insert a single magazine into the pistol (one action for multiple rounds).

Semi-Automatic pistols fire a single cartridge each time the trigger is pressed. It automatically extracts the spent casing and prepares to fire another round. A semi-automatic is sometimes called automatic, but the difference is a true automatic can fire multiple rounds per trigger press. This seemingly small difference can cause tens of thousands of dollars in fines and years of time in federal penitentiaries, so be sure to know the difference. A semi-automatic holds its rounds in a single device called a magazine (it is possible to offend some hard-line gun enthusiasts by calling a magazine a clip). This magazine is normally inserted into the grip of the handgun. These handguns are the most popular, and they are that way for many reasons. Some of the most recognized reasons are:

Learning tactics designed for self defense for women is important for every woman, especially for those who live alone or venture out by themselves on a regular basis. There are many crimes that more commonly happen to women, such as rape, domestic violence, purse snatching, stalking, carjacking, threats, and crimes against children in their protection, and women need to have tools at their disposal to protect themselves and not just give up or give in to their attackers.

One of the most important means of self defense for women is prevention. Women must protect themselves by knowing their surroundings, being ever vigilant, avoiding being in unpopulated or poorly lit places alone.However, when prevention fails, sometimes the only way to survive is to fight back. Self defense techniques can help you fight off an attacker and help you protect yourself, because it is your right as a woman to do so.Here are some great ways that women can protect themselves from attackers:Limit time and exposure in undesirable situations such as dark streets, secluded parks, and other places that attackers may take advantage of a lack of people and low visibility.Get a large dog to walk with you or live with you for extra protection and to warn you if someone is near your home.Always go places with a group or with a buddy, or at the very least let someone know where you are going

Avoid off-brand and chippo priced guns. Remember the saying: You get what you pay for. The suggestion is to stick with S&W, Colt or Ruger. If you really need a handgun, you want one that goes bang when you pull the trigger. I think the Lady Smiths are the same as the other "J" frames, with a bit of extra engraving and for a bit more money, of course. Rossi makes good firearms too, which will cost less the S&Ws, Rugers, Colts, etc.

Self defense for women is important because statistics say that all women are stand a good chance of becoming victims of violent crime at any point in their lives.According to statistics, by the time, you as a woman, reach the age of 21 years of age you have a 30 percent chance of suffering violent crime in your life. Self defense is more than just something to think about. When your safety is in danger, defending herself by fighting back with any means available is the most critical decision you can make.




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