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Spouse or S.O.?

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I've noticed a few folks adding comments about how they're going shooting with their spouse this weekend. I was just wondering how many of you share the shooting sports with your wife/husband/significant other, etc.? And if not, is it because they're anti's or just not interested.

IIRC, Len, Deena just got into it with you within that past couple of years, right? I remember you saying that she wasn't interested in it at all a few years back.
 
I've been trying to get Melody out, but finding a sitter isn't easy considering that Braintree is now a 3 hour round trip for us. :(
 
Sore subject. I go and marry a northern Vermont girl, whose entire family hunts, and she turns out to be anti-gun. I've offered several times to take her to the range, or to encourage her to attend one of the many "Ladies Days" at local clubs, but she just has no interest.

I'd have better luck if I had married a Cambridge liberal.
 
It's the same with mine. She loves that I have a hobby that keeps me out of the bars. :D

Really, she doesn't mind me having the hobby. Her brother and father both shoot. But she's just afraid of them. I've offered to get her into a Women on Targer class, or out to the Cowboy shoots so she has other women to shoot with.

But she wants none of it. She did say that I can teach our kids how to shoot. She just doesn't want to do it.
 
Glenn just lucked out with me. I am the one to encourage the hobbies though. He didn't have to teach me Uncle did it all for him. [twisted]
 
Tried, Tried again, finally learned my lesson and shut up. She's just not the least bit interested. Of course that makes her the outsider in the family, since both our son and daughter are certified gun nuts. Hell, our daughter not only shoots the eyes out of the targets, but is a damn good scuba diver, karate brown belt and likes to jump out of planes. I figure if it weren't for the chromosone thing she'd be the family's current rep in force recon.

Ken
 
KMaurer said:
Tried, Tried again, finally learned my lesson and shut up. She's just not the least bit interested. Of course that makes her the outsider in the family, since both our son and daughter are certified gun nuts. Hell, our daughter not only shoots the eyes out of the targets, but is a damn good scuba diver, karate brown belt and likes to jump out of planes. I figure if it weren't for the chromosone thing she'd be the family's current rep in force recon.

Ken

Out-muther-friggin'-standing!
 
Last year my wife mentioned that she wanted to shoot rifle. I thought, GREAT. But when it came down to it, she said she was too busy and maybe "later, when I have more time". Damn....
If anything though, she has come with Sarah and me to the range on Monday nights for the youth program.
There may be hope!
 
My wife shoots now and then. She's not as into it as I am, but several years ago I did get her out to a service rifle clinic. She thought getting a 10 from the 600 yard line with iron sights was pretty cool.
 
I was actually rather anti-gun until I met Patrick. He's NRA Cert'd etc. But we talked, I asked him if he'd take me to the range, he did and I fell in love (with both him AND guns, don't ask which one I love more, this isn't "Sophie's Choice").

Now I shoot more than he does, I coach at the BFSC and am going to get cert'd, too.

Keep trying guys, it may happen yet!
 
Lynne, Deena blows hot and cold on shooting.

She claimed to hate it for many years, so she only shot a few times over those years. Then suddenly when SAS was running a 1-day familiarization course a few years ago SHE decided she wanted to attend. She came back all enthused, so I went out and bought a P22 as I only had 2 target .22s no plinking gun and she's a Lefty so my HS Victor with thumb rest grips wouldn't work.Then she got diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel and that was the excuse to not shoot . . . she still hasn't done a damn thing about the problem except wear braces on both arms each evening.

This past March we went to BR&P for breakfast and so I could pay my dues. Suddenly Deena announces that she wanted to join and filled out an application. She went home and announced that she wanted to join SAS and wanted to know about joining GOAL. We joined SAS and she joined BR&P (same day as Derek). We attended a few SAS shoots/meetings but not the last few months (or this month). My training with Randy Cain and Gabe Suarez conflicts with SAS dates. Deena and I were shooting most Sundays from March thru mid-May, when I needed to focus on the defensive shooting with the group up in Tyngsboro.

The latest was that Deena declared that "she didn't enjoy it that much" and didn't care to shoot!

I don't waste my time trying to figure out women!! [roll]
 
SiameseRat said:
I was actually rather anti-gun until I met Patrick. He's NRA Cert'd etc. But we talked, I asked him if he'd take me to the range, he did and I fell in love (with both him AND guns, don't ask which one I love more, this isn't "Sophie's Choice").

That happens more than most folks know....falling in love once you get to shoot that is. We've had couples for students and the only reason she took the course was because HE wanted guns in the house so she wanted to know what was what. Guess who wound up becoming the gun nut after the first few shots?
 
Wow, Glenn had it easy. Uncle broke me in. Actually my dad started it,but my mom hated guns,didn't want them in the house,if only she knew about my brother and I. She'd have a fit if she saw our safes.
 
Lynne said:
SiameseRat said:
I was actually rather anti-gun until I met Patrick. He's NRA Cert'd etc. But we talked, I asked him if he'd take me to the range, he did and I fell in love (with both him AND guns, don't ask which one I love more, this isn't "Sophie's Choice").

That happens more than most folks know....falling in love once you get to shoot that is. We've had couples for students and the only reason she took the course was because HE wanted guns in the house so she wanted to know what was what. Guess who wound up becoming the gun nut after the first few shots?

I had that last month with one of my students. She was there with her husband and did not want to participate in the shooting portion of the class. We talked to her, told her that she should give it a try and if she felt uncomfortable at any time she could step out. By the end of the shooting portion she had a huge smile on her face, grabbed her husband, took him into the office and signed up for membership right there.
I think if women are encouraged to just try it in a supportive environment they can relax enough to see how fun shooting is.
 
I love having those women in my classes who are there, at best, reluctantly. Even aside from the fact that it almost always results on a loss for the anti's and a gain for our side, there's the simple fact that they rarely if ever have any ingrained bad habits that I have to work against. As a result, they usually end up out shooting the husband/boyfriend who got them there in the first place. Once that happens, they're hooked for life.

Happiness is a formerly anti-gun, middle aged-woman holding a target with one large hole in the center while most of the John Waynes in the class have palm to dinner plate sized groups.

Ken
 
KMaurer said:
Tried, Tried again, finally learned my lesson and shut up. She's just not the least bit interested. Of course that makes her the outsider in the family, since both our son and daughter are certified gun nuts. Hell, our daughter not only shoots the eyes out of the targets, but is a damn good scuba diver, karate brown belt and likes to jump out of planes. I figure if it weren't for the chromosone thing she'd be the family's current rep in force recon.

Ken
She looking for a date to some fireworks this 4th? Good ol' yankee here!
 
KMaurer said:
Happiness is a formerly anti-gun, middle aged-woman holding a target with one large hole in the center while most of the John Waynes in the class have palm to dinner plate sized groups.

[lol] [lol] [lol] Yeah, huh?
 
I broke up with my girlfriend of 5 years about 3 months ago. I have been on a few dates so far. Most girls I have met have never touched a real gun never mind gone shooting. But, I have taken a couple out to see what its like. I actually brought one to the range on a first date.
 
When I met my wife I told her I was into shooting; she had never shot before and the subject never really came up again until she was moving in. I decided to show her what was in the house before she moved, shortly after that we went to the range a few times. I've since bought her two rifles and a pistol & she really enjoys it. She's not as into it as I am, but it is something we can go out and do together occasionally like this morning.

Chris
 
When my wife and I were dating, I took her to the range a time or two and she seemed to like it. Now that we're married and I've been up here in MA for almost 18 years, she really doesn't have any interest in shooting.

I've tried asking her to the range, but one huge problem is that Riverside allows smoking in the bar... which is where you have to sign in and go through to get to the indoor range. Guess who's allergic to cigarette smoke? :-(

It's a pity, because I think she'd be a great shot. We used to shoot archery when we were in the SCA, and although I'd outshoot her at practice, she usually outshot me at events. Strange...

Hmm... y'know, I've been thinking that we need to have some kind of get-together so that those of us in N. E. can perhaps meet and put faces to names. What if we do this at a range (of course!) where some of you female instructor types can (cough, cough) just "happen" to talk to some of the non-shooting SO's? Or am I being an evil bastard here?

Ross
 
We can talk to them and let them shoot our toys, but doesn't mean we'll change their minds you know. We'll try........ [lol]
 
We can try. If it works maybe we can make it a regular event and eventually work up to inviting government officials. Maybe they'll lay off if they actually become one of us...
 
SiameseRat said:
We can try. If it works maybe we can make it a regular event and eventually work up to inviting government officials. Maybe they'll lay off if they actually become one of us...

Please, leave the gov't officials home, unless they think like we do already!

Over the years, I've asked probably 5 or 6 chiefs, a number of firearms instructors and officers to join me at one of the clubs. Even told them that I'd arrange so they could fire anything they had in their arsenals. Guess how many took me up on the offers . . . ZERO!

Only one politician ever accepted my offer. He's actually somewhat anti-gun but always listened to my points of view. He was State Rep, State Sen and subsequently DA.
 
I'm all for a get-together to meet and shoot. Something that ARfcom pulls off in more gun-friendly parts of the US!
 
Excellent idea Ross (even if we don't convert any of the wives into gun nuts). And, (for those that don't know), I'd be happy (if you'd like me to) to tell the spouse why I'm a gun owner today. I was a victim of violent crime, and a couple very scary other moments. (What the hell - I might as well post it all here. I testified to the ba$tard$ on the hill, so I might as well share it with friendlies). I was raped at knife point - my "X" tried to kill me (and damn near suceeded) - I was stalked and Ed and I were the recipients of a death threat (long story which I'll spare you) complete with dead fish (how many saw the Godfather?) That's why I'm a gun owner today. I never really got my life back until I got my first hand gun and discovered I was no longer helpless and defenseless. Okay...enough of that....
 
Lynne, first let me say that I'm sure everyone here will share the sentiment that I'm very glad that bastard didn't succeed in ending your life. It's great that you feel safe again. Gun ownership is a wonderful thing, for so many reasons.
 
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