Sexism in the Firearms Community

originally posted by: theMediator
I'll do some biiiiig generalization here...

Gun owners are more likely to be conservatives.
Conservatives are more likely to be racist, sexist and stubborn to change.

So I'm not surprised to see this thread.

Thanks for your politically accusatory and ill informed tripe.

Projectvxn, I don't know about female instructors, but I do know that men treat women different.

My girlfriend can walk into a gunshop and not even get so much as a "can I help you?" They will ask me but nit her.

She recognizes it and speaks her mind to me about it.

The local gunshop down the road will never get our business because of the owner's lack of respect.

So far (knock on wood) I haven't noticed sexism towards me as a gun owner (except raised eyebrows from some older male friends of my hubby's), nor my sniperish abilities, which have garnered rounds of applause.

I would just like to see better designed firearms which are engineered to women's varying proportions and in a 'hot pink' 'or 'sky blue' colours, and lighter in weight, if you please.

Where men and women do differ is in rifle fit. Typically, women have a shorter length of pull. This even applies to women of larger stature. Simply explained, length of pull is the measurement from the butt of the rifle to the front of the trigger.

outdoorcanada.ca...

originally posted by: InTheLight
I would just like to see better designed firearms which are engineered to women's varying proportions and in a 'hot pink' 'or 'sky blue' colours, and lighter in weight, if you please.

I am fairly certain they have both of those requests already.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: InTheLight
I would just like to see better designed firearms which are engineered to women's varying proportions and in a 'hot pink' 'or 'sky blue' colours, and lighter in weight, if you please.

I am fairly certain they have both of those requests already.

Indeed there are, but the pink camoflagued rifle I handled some years back was rather heavy for me and I was not impressed.

a reply to: InTheLight

Some of the newer weapons have a good deal of composite material. My wife is able to use the Windham .308 I recently purchased as it weighs about 7.5lbs.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: InTheLight

Some of the newer weapons have a good deal of composite material. My wife is able to use the Windham .308 I recently purchased as it weighs about 7.5lbs.

If I ever find the time to join my area gun club, I will definitely need to buy a new firearm - don't want to be embarassed. Right now, I just wanted to chime in to say that I haven't been exposed to that - yet - but that doesn't mean it's not there.

I remember my hubby and I went into a cigar bar in Toronto, Ontario and although I didn't hear this comment, he did and told me later. The young male manager said to another male employee "Who let the skirt in?". I promptly called the rental property manager, who just happened to be a woman, and repeated the comment. Let's put it this way, the cigar bar was no longer renting at that location the next time I visited Toronto.

a reply to: InTheLight

Funny you mention the Cigar bar, I have had similar experiences quite a few times. The last being in Nevada the gentleman was joking around with my husband about being forced to take a woman along he ended up pointing out that it might not be the best choice for them to offend me since I am the tobacconist in the family.

When it comes to the firearms community in general, in my area at least, things do seem to be changing. There is one range/shop that I will no longer go to and the gentleman who runs the place is more than happy to discourage any female who walks through the door. I do think for him and the men who hang out there it's considered private man time and one fellow there said " if he wanted females in here he would just hang out with his wife". It's his private business so I was happy to take my business elsewhere.

I also find it interesting that the need to prove I could handle the big guns is something I would have to think about. Are men not buying .22's anymore.

Penny

originally posted by: pennylemon
a reply to: InTheLight

Funny you mention the Cigar bar, I have had similar experiences quite a few times. The last being in Nevada the gentleman was joking around with my husband about being forced to take a woman along he ended up pointing out that it might not be the best choice for them to offend me since I am the tobacconist in the family.

When it comes to the firearms community in general, in my area at least, things do seem to be changing. There is one range/shop that I will no longer go to and the gentleman who runs the place is more than happy to discourage any female who walks through the door. I do think for him and the men who hang out there it's considered private man time and one fellow there said " if he wanted females in here he would just hang out with his wife". It's his private business so I was happy to take my business elsewhere.

I also find it interesting that the need to prove I could handle the big guns is something I would have to think about. Are men not buying .22's anymore.

Penny

I didn't and still don't have a need to prove anything to myself. I was just born with excellent hand/eye coordination and a brother that collected firearms. He put many different firearms in my hands at target practice time on his farm, one being a magnum 38; felt natural from day one.

a reply to: InTheLight

My apologies InTheLight if that came out as if referring to you specifically. I too am very comfortable with some of the larger calibers. I suppose I was speaking to the entire subject and had found it interesting that it comes up at all.

Penny

originally posted by: pennylemon
a reply to: InTheLight

My apologies InTheLight if that came out as if referring to you specifically. I too am very comfortable with some of the larger calibers. I suppose I was speaking to the entire subject and had found it interesting that it comes up at all.

Penny

I didn't take your comment as you were referring to me, rather I do see too few women take up this sport, perhaps due to what the OP was touching upon. I feel it beneficial for us to discuss the negative and positive experiences we women face in situations such as this where society separates the men from the women in certain sports, or anything for that matter.

I've seen some sexism with firearms and corrected it where i could.
It isn't hard to teach a woman to shoot when you do it properly, in fact it's harder to teach some of the men out there, those types think that because they're men, they automatically know what they're doing.
Maybe it's the mistaken view that a firearm is a gender exclusive object. no idea.