Listen: The Power In Fear, Part 4

WSB's Veronica Waters became one of the more than 4 million women participating in target shooting, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. While there are no easy statistics for how many America women own guns, the group 2nd Amendment Sisters has estimated the number at 17 million and growing.

Some say men and women were created differently, but Colonel Colt made them equal.

"I think every woman should learn how to shoot a gun," says Sandy Springs Police Detective Liz Concepcion. "I just think there are certain things that everybody should do in their life. One thing is wait tables; work in customer service, at least once. And especially for women, I think you should know how to shoot a gun and throw a punch."

Concepcion knows some women are afraid of guns, or may think they're just for the boys.

"I think females, in general, are probably a little better shooter," says Concepcion, "I think because a lot of men like to use their muscles. I think it's just an instinctive thing for them to hold a gun and when they're shooting it they're like--ugh, ugh! You know, trying to fling the bullets out of it...whereas a woman will just pull the trigger and let the machine work."

Thursday, it's Ladies' Day at American Classic Marksman in Norcross. Today, women's time on the range is free. One very reasonable rental fee lets you try several guns.

Manager Frank Wood tells me headlines about Meredith Emerson brought in more female clientele—something that happens whenever the media "harps on" an attack on a woman, he says.

"As a general rule, women have better hand-eye coordination than men do," says Wood. "A woman will learn to shoot quicker than a man, basically because she listens.

"Most men have preconceived notions because they watch TV and the old cowboy movies and stuff like that, and it doesn't apply. Women don't have that preconceived notion and they're willing to listen, learn and do it correctly and enjoy shooting. And once they enjoy shooting, they figure out hey, this is a pretty good hobby," he says.

Wood says it doesn't take long for women to get into shooting, either.

"Once they have shot some and take a little instruction, they love it," says Wood. "They'll shoot as avidly as most men do. It's getting over the initial fear of the gun going 'bang.'"

But my only fear was that I'd be a bad shot.

Concepcion's gun is a Glock 9 millimeter which feels big in my hands—but is not as heavy as it looks. Still, it takes me 2.5 minutes just to rack it the first time. As I struggle with the movement, Concepcion tells me not to be so gentle—in fact, to be rough with the gun.

"It takes five pounds of pressure and I know you can lift five pounds," she tells me. Enough said. I do, however, wonder aloud if my hands are simply too small to handle this comfortably. She reminds me it's just a movement I'm not used to; if I practice while, say, watching TV at home, pretty soon the racking of the gun would be second nature. And after a few more tries with her coaching, knowing how much pressure to apply to move the parts starts to feel familiar.

Loading the magazine with bullets means propping it on my ribcage and pushing with BOTH thumbs. It's tough--but Concepcion--who shoots better than some guys on the SWAT team, according to her partner--won't let me say "I can't." It just takes practice, she says. I slide five bullets inside, and then line up the sights on the barrel. I'm aiming at a green-and-ivory human torso target about 20 feet away.

"Pull the trigger very slowly, and hold the gun tightly," says Concepcion.

I fire. POW!

Concepcion says it's important for women to be comfortable with guns.

"Woooow!" I enthuse.

"How'd that feel?" Concepcion asks. "You shot him almost in the heart!" she says, and I wonder why she sounds incredulous.

"Well, you said aim between the shoulders!" I say.

"That's good!" she confirms.

Squeezing the trigger is easy. It's a soft pull and feels very satisfying. My wrists jump a couple inches with the recoil but my stance is solid. It's loud; thank goodness for the shooting glasses and adjustable red and black earmuffs.

Concepcion says I don't have any bad habits to unlearn, which is why the way I grip the gun and fire is giving me such accurate results. But on the (rare) times when my shot doesn't go where I want on the target, she says it's because I'm doing something called "anticipating the shot"—an involuntary flinch because I'm wary about the big bang. To get around that, she loads the magazine without me looking, to put blanks in with live rounds, coaching me to imagine that it'll just "click" every time.

I also shoot a .38 caliber revolver, which has fewer moving parts, is effortless to load and requires me to squeeze a fraction of a second longer to fire the round.

"Oh..." says Concepcion, "Did you mean to shoot him in the head?"

My hands are cold, but it is thrilling to feel such power! And it's exciting to push the button on the wall and watch my target rattle and rush toward me on the motorized clothesline so I can see up close how great most of my shots are. Each time I reload, I try about five bullets at a time, about a third what the magazine can hold. The .38 holds five bullets.

I aimed at the paper man's imaginary gonads and was pleased to see those bullets targeted his bull's eyes just fine, too.

When Detective Concepcion takes the Glock, her grouping of bullets is incredibly tight, right in the center of the paper man's chest. Her partner on the force, who's been watching, tells me that Concepcion is a better shot than some of the guys on the SWAT team. It's encouraging, too, because she says when she first started shooting at the police academy she had bullets flying everywhere and found the weapon very scary and intimidating. When she graduated she was at the top of her class in shooting.

My target is soon full of holes from the semiautomatic 9mm and the .38 revolver. Then, she gives me a drill of sorts--five rapid-fire shots as if an attacker was charging at me.

"Typically most encounters with people are going to be very close," says Concepcion. "How long is it going to take you to draw your gun or get it out of your purse? It's got to be somewhere that's pretty accessible."

My five-times-as-fast-as-you-can drill (right; this is also the target I used to practice head shots) landed two in the gut, one in the shoulder, and ripped one thru his throat.

What a rush! You wanna know power? I felt like Sarah Connor in Terminator 2!

"Watch out, world!" I yell.

"See?" Concepcion says. "Now she's getting tough!"

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

Friday, hear from some metro Atlanta women who successfully found the power in fear.

Thursday, 28 February 2008

American Classic Marksman is located at 5305 Peachtree Industrial Blvd; Norcross, GA; 30092. Their number is (770) 449-6200.

Wednesday's Story: Stopping The Threat