Women to the fore on the shooting range

For the third year in succession, it was a case of women to the fore on the shooting range. Celebrating Women’s Month, 21 women ranging from novices to professionals attended a weekend of shooting, drills and fun from 5 to 6 August at Marksman’s Nest shooting range near Malmesbury. Chief ranger Geoffrey Coetzee said, “We were also honoured with a delegation from the NATSHOOT office this year. These ladies are part of a super team that manages the NATSHOOT database.”

All the action

After registration and all the formalities, the group spent a total of seven hours on the shooting range. Starting with fundamentals, they then progressed to micro-precision shooting skills and shotgun developmental shooting among many other modalities. That night, the whole team embarked on a night shooting session, followed by a night walk. “Night shooting is very technical and not a common skill among law enforcement and private citizens. But we believe that, as a firearm owner, it’s a critical skill to possess. And I must say, the ladies in attendance did extremely well. We commend them for that.” After so much action, the group settled in for some sustenance and a lovely night around the fire. All in all, the weekend was a roaring success.

Fast learners

“Women generally are more coachable than men. When they’re told how to hold the gun, they hold it that way. When shown to look at the front they do exactly that,” Geoffrey said. “The number of women hunters, target shooters and gun owners has increased dramatically over the last number of years! And it’s particularly heartening to see so many women taking self-defence handgun training to heart. “The weekend was proof that you can achieve anything with some commitment and pushing your limits. Well done to all 21 attendees. We’re chuffed that it was a case of women to the fore on the shooting range during Women’s Month.”