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For those with a ball & chain...

Very sorry bro. Have not had any such experiences as my wife has her own firearms, LTC, professional self-defense training (all on her own) and is also a member here on NES.

Condolences = Threads like this continue to make me appreciate what I have (my wife [grin].)
 
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If she develops a liking for firearms, that's great. But what you need to be planning for is if she never comes around, which can be the reality you'll have to accept. Have money she doesn't know about, and buy guns that look similar. That's my advice.
 
plane and simple. get her to the range. Two things will happen

1. she will shoot and love it ...Your responce is to marry her

2. she hates it ... Your responce is to get a new GF
 
Let me comment from the tree of pain and woe

Look... I think it is obvious by now (as I have posted as of late), I am going through a horrific divorce. Lets just put it this way: Imagine all of your possessions, and everything your wife knows you like, and having them torn up. I am talking about having to liquidate your entire collection for say, 30 - 40 cents on the dollar per firearm if you are lucky. Yes, that is me. I am an official "I am that guy" card carrying member. Do yourself a solid and run.

I had to sell 14 ARs, 8 WASR-10s (whose furniture I refinished all by hand with Tung oil and each were a work of art - felt like soapstone), not to mention my C&R collection. Gone, all gone. Everything, liquidated. The reason is obvious (from my legal advice that is costing me an arm and a leg), if I am standing before the man and they ask me why I had more firearms than the Belarusian Army, things would not go well for me in the custody battle (since my wife is a whack job and I am trying to get at least 50/50).

So, what can you learn from this? Let me tell you. Don't be another "that guy" posting here trying to ponder the pain and suffering you will incur from the tree of woe. Take it from me (and others here who are card carrying members). Run. There are more fish in the ocean and if you really need a friend, get a Black Lab.

Tree_of_Woe.jpg
 
OP, dont force her. If you make her go, she will already have it in her mind that she well be miserable and even if she is having fun she wont admit it out of fear of being wrong. Mrs. Mursenary got out to the range for only the second time last week. I asked her to come with me because I wanted her company and wanted to spend some time with her and share my favorite hobby. Playing the relationship card worked for me. I didnt make it about her learning to shoot, but about us having fun together and I think she was less intimidated. I started her with the SR22 and we traded going back and forth shooting on one lane so she knew she had my full attention (which is all women want in the end IMHO.) She took one shot with the 9mm and I shut it down because I could tell she was scared. She shot the AR15 and like I predicted it was her favorite gun. Low recoil and BA as shit is the recipe for fun for her. Maybe we can have a double date to the range so it feels more relaxed and fun than about getting her shooting. Hope this helps
 
Let her know about Women on Target events and ask if she would like to go to one. If she is going to be around them (by being around you) she should at least know how to properly handle and make safe a firearm. Women on Target classes are a great environment for women. She will have the opportunity to shoot but does not have to. Harvard Sportsmens Club will be holding one this year. No date yet.
 
My gf was the same way.

Get a .22lr rifle or handgun. Take her to the range and eventually she will start to enjoy it.
Make it a thing. Range, out to eat, something like that.

I thought my gf was going to break down and cry in the middle of Walmart when she realized I was carrying.

Now I'm building her a AR15. (Pink of course)
 
My wife was pretty much an anti when I met her - portuguese immigrant who litterally had never seen a gun other than on a cops belt. For many years I endured the tears of "why won't you just do this for me?". I never asked her to go to the range or pushed her in any way. She now has her LTC and while not a 2A advocate is realizing that government is not the anser to personal safety.
What changed?
I introduced my children to shooting first by taking them for their hunting certificate and then taking them to the range. Then a home invasion happened in our town pretty close to one of her friends along with the realization that we live in a relatively remote part of the town. The final straw was when I was on travel and she thought someone was trying to break in at night - had the police search the house and neighborhood. The police let her know that there was little they could do because of where we live and she was on her one for the most part.

All in all, it is a process where they learn both that guns aren't the evil objects they are made out to be and that people are a whole lot more evil than we want to believe.
 
Thanks to those who gave some good advice, I'll take some of your suggestions.

Like I said in the OP, I don't need her to love guns, just want her to be comfortable and safe in case something happens when I'm not around and she may need to use one.

I think its a while away but I'd like to get her to one of the GOAL women's events or something of the sort.

- - - Updated - - -

Mr Weebles said:
Nope. I dump them if they don't like it.



Dump her.
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[troll]
 
I let my then girlfriend now wife know I had guns. I never showed them to her. I waited for her to ask. I showed them to her. I demonstrated that I am safe with firearms. This took months. I then went to the range and did not invite her. I went several times. I made it an event she was not involved in. I, by my actions demonstrated that it was not a fad nor was it a passing interest. She asked if I would take her to the range. I took her after she mentioned it several times. She is going for her LTC and has taken a class.

Her mothers family was dead set against guns in the house. I just wore it around the house every day and every night. Its just a part of my daily routine. I come home and put my gun on. During the Boston Marathon bombings her mother called to make sure we were safe. She asked her if she had access to a firearm. Its been a long process but the worm has turned.
 
It has already been suggested but the best way in my opinion is to take yourself out of the equation and get her into a Woman On Target event. You will not be sorry
 
Cap said:
Keep in mind shooting is an activity that she may not enjoy. As long as she isn't against gun ownership, I don't think you have much to worry about.

She should be comfortable with how to use a gun, but she may have no interest in shooting for fun.
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This is my experience. My wife grew up with a father who was very active in the shooting sports. He forced it on her. She went through the junior rifle program, etc. She has her LTC. She's an awesome shot but has no interest at all in pursuing shooting for fun. The good news is she has no problem with me being a shooter. So we do our own thing. No big deal.
 
If she is not interested then don't push the issue.

My wife hates guns. I have had guns since before we were married.
She has not seen them and does not know how many I have.
I ride motorcycles and my wife doesn't like that either.
My wife lets me do what I want and I let her do what she wants.
I have been married for 37 years.

If you need a gun-loving girlfriend you should change girlfriends.
Since you are in Massachusetts you may have a difficult time of it.

If you want to keep your girlfriend then don't talk guns with her anymore.
 
Take her for a walk in the worst neighborhood you can find, then ask here if she would like to increase her odds of living.
 
My wife owns a couple of guns and never wants to go shooting. She rolls her eyes when I bring a new one home, but that's as bad as it gets.

She's just not really into shooting. We have a range less than an 8th of a mile away and she has never been there. Some chicks just don't dig shooting.

Try making it into something nice she could do for YOU for your birthday or something. Use female terms like "I feel that it something special we could share together". Try to keep a straight face while doing it for extra points.
 
It's not important to convert a spouse to "one of us", but it is important to make sure you ownership of guns or spending money on them does not become a problem. As far as my wife is concerned, the guns might as well be golf clubs - they're just something I use that she has no interest in. She only had one rule when we got married - I could spend whatever I wanted on guns, but no single gun can be worth more than he most expensive piece of jewelry.
 
Cap said:
Keep in mind shooting is an activity that she may not enjoy. As long as she isn't against gun ownership, I don't think you have much to worry about.

She should be comfortable with how to use a gun, but she may have no interest in shooting for fun.
Click to expand...

Yep. My wife is like that.. But she does humor me and go to the range from time to time. She knows how the guns operate and that's good enough for her. It's a shame because she rocks a .45. Better than I am with it.

I don't try to push it. Ever heard the song "Hold on Loosely" by 38 Special? If not you should. Words to live in a marriage by.
 
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MikeScarn said:
Hi all, recent green member and young person who likes to exercise the good ol' second amendment. I have a bit of a random question here. My girlfriend is a little, shall we say, gun-shy. She doesn't have anything against me having one (except that it takes away from her buy-me-stuff-budget [banghead]). At this point, I've only been able to get her to even hold a pistol once, and she was none too happy about it. I would like for her to be comfortable around guns, and maybe in the future to own and enjoy one (or three) of her own.

SO, my question is, have any of you had a similar experience with a significant other not liking your primal need to shoot things? Any suggestions to help a brother out? I know I'm probably in for the long haul here, and I'm not expecting a night-and-day difference, but at this point I think anything will help out.

Thanks!
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i had the exact same situation with my wife. she is a west coast liberal type. i love her either way but the gun issue took some work. today i am proud to say that she has an LTC-A, owns numerous guns including a 12g pump action and she loves coming to the range with me on weekends.

initially she was against even coming to the range or holding a gun. here is how i pitched it to her:

1. I just wanted her to have knowledge of guns. not necessarily own or be pro-gun or anything like that...just know how to use or disable a firearm in the event of an emergency. basically i said to her something like "what if one day you see someone hurting people w a gun and then they drop it and you have the chance to help stop the situation?". She then agreed some basic gun knowledge would serve well.

2. I paid for a private range instructor instead of me providing her first few lessons. Getting a professional instructor takes the pressure off any woman so that there is no possibility that I might be "talking down to her." Of course I never intend to speak condescendingly to my woman, but sometimes it just comes out of my mouth rude or even the kindest thing I say could be perceived as rude. Having a range instructor do the first few lessons allows a woman to get her feet planted and comfortable with the gun so that emotions can be set aside (at least while at the range).

Try these tricks they worked for me and lord knows my woman is pretty damn left.
god help me.
 
My Wife was 100% anti but eventually came around on her own to the point that she (and I are both) life members of NRA, GOAL & SAF, she owns guns, is a member of BR&P and shoots with me at least once/month. Everything except the LTC was her idea eventually. I insisted she get a LTC for "legal protection" way back when I got into shooting, but back then it was a 10 minute process with the Chief who was pro-2A and a personal friend.

She always attended the social events at the clubs I belonged to, enjoyed the people she met there. I used to go to BR&P Sunday mornings, we'd have breakfast there and she'd sit and talk with people or read while I shot. BR&P ran an all-day women-only event and she decided to attend. Juli Auclair (Ch. 7 News) attended, participated and reported on it. My Wife came home all excited and her interest took off from there. This transition took almost 30 years however!

Have her attend a Women On Target (NRA course) with all women and she may well change her mind. Also the certificate she gets will let her get her LTC.
 
mursenary4 said:
... spend some time with her and share my favorite hobby. Playing the relationship card worked for me. I didnt make it about her learning to shoot, but about us having fun together ...
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The wife said she'd want to go to the range again some time. Haven't done that in a while.

PennyPincher said:
Let her know about Women on Target events and ask if she would like to go to one. ...
Click to expand...

MikeScarn said:
... I'd like to get her to one of the GOAL women's events or something of the sort.
Click to expand...

Dirtypacman said:
... get her into a Woman On Target event. You will not be sorry
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

See post #32 here on NES, and check out this link: Women On Target Events.
 
It's like a prostate exam, don't confuse enjoyment with necessity.

she may hate guns, but learning to use one for self protection is as essential as driving, reading etc. Show her that latest vid of the home intruder beating the crap out of the chick and planning to kill her. Ask her if should would enjoy getting raped and killed like that. Be serious about it. It's only fun and games until shit gets real. Most people don't CCW because they like having a lump of heavy metal next to their balls.
 
Take her to a women on target event. She will find out for sure if she likes it or not and it is not intimidating at all because most of the women there have never shot before. I worked the one at our club a few years ago and it was great. 2 or 3 hr class on gun safety then some shooting both handguns and rifles.
 

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