Metro women at home on the range with sights set on safety

Some metro women are taking aim at taking up arms in a gender-specific environment. They’re participating in Concealed Carry classes for women only.

Jess Ulrich, with the Marksman Indoor Range in Waterloo, tells us they’ve seen a growing demand from women for this kind of safety and empowerment instruction.

“You know, the demographic is growing,” she said. The reasons cover a lot of ground ranging from, “a lot of home defense, personal safety, beling able to, being able to defend themselves in any kind of scary situations. But really for empowerment.” she said. "Knowledge is power."

That knowledge, that power provides peace-of-mind, "for themselves and for the families."

The instruction is all-inclusive but Ulrich said safety is the big focus. She said being a firearms owner comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility that many are unaware of. “We just educate, educate, educate,” she said.

Ulrich said women comprise 30 to 40 percent of the clientele at The Marksman. They used to offer a course every other month that was specifically designed for women, "and the demand has been so great, we now do it monthly."

Theresa and Michelle are taking the class. We found them out on the firing range Sunday morning.

Michelle told us, "I wanted to be in control of any situation. I wanted to be able to protect my property and my clients if I happen to be in a situation where we didn't feel safe. And I also wanted to feel empowered and not have to depend on somebody else."

She told us she never wants to be the victim. "Safety is extremely empowering," she said.

Along with addressing the mechanics of firing a gun and the responsibility of firearm ownership, Concealed Carry instruction also covers the pertinent laws governing the weapons.