The Vermilion Gun Club hosted a Ladies Night on August 30, with 22 people having the opportunity to try out target shooting and share a meal together afterwards.
The evening offered an opportunity for ladies who haven’t used firearms or only have a bit of experience. Treasurer, Dave Moore said, “It allows them to have a fun time and see that guns are inherently a tool; there is nothing to be leery about, but there is a proper way to use them.”
Following a knowledge and safety briefing to take the mystery away, 12 regular members volunteered to help the participants practice shooting steel targets from 25 – 250 yards.
“For me, it’s getting to do a variety of things; you can shoot a handgun with almost no recoil and change to a heavy rifle. You can get proficient at short range shooting and then try medium or large calibre; and that’s just with target shooting,” said Moore. “Proficiency and practice makes perfect. An afternoon out at the range gives you time to think or relax, just like some people do when they play golf or go for a bicycle ride.”
Participants tried using a .22 revolver, a .22 semi-automatic handgun, a 40 glock semi-automatic, and a .357 revolver. They also had the opportunity to try out lever action, bolt action, and a .223 centre fire semi-automatic rifle. Many of them also tried a 410 calibre as well as 20 gauge and 12 gauge shotguns.
“Firearms are like shoes in a closet, with one pair for every occasion,” said vice president, Len Chetter.
One lady inherited her husband’s firearms and came to learn how to safely use them in order to take care of a recurring skunk problem on her property instead of having to repeatedly hire out the work to other people.
Another participant, Heather Rayment said, “It was so fun. I only shot one other time, and some never had. The instructors were really good.”
“On the news, everything is very one-sided, but in western farming communities the firearm used for predators is just as much a tool as the tractor,” said Moore.
For families that have a shooter, he recommends that all members should have some training so they are secure in the house with everyone knowing what’s there. For hunters, he said you want to make sure you are accurate at the range. A person can spend can $300-$400 or up to $4,000 on a firearm; like cars with fancier models, he said firearms can be more expensive for the same calibre, and that the cost of scopes varies too.
President, Dwayne Gorniak said, “The number one biggest value of the firearms community is the community itself. The government labels and stigmatizes us, they try to paint us as a burden to society when really the firearms community is the largest conservationist community. Unfortunately, bad people are going to do bad things with whatever tools they have available. However, when it comes to hunters, everything they do pays towards conservation (by way of fees, etc.). A lot of them have a connection to wildlife and nature itself. Events like this allow people to see the firearms community and culture (in a different light or as it should be); we are all just regular people.”