Detroit Firearm Instructors Train 700 Women How To Safely Operate 9mm Firearms

700 Women Get Gun locks free donated the National Shooting Sports Foundation
700 Women Get Gun locks free donated by the National Shooting Sports Foundation

Detroit, MI –-(Ammoland.com)- Legally Armed In Detroit, a gun rights advocacy group, announces that it gave a free-range safety briefing and a complimentary shooting lesson at a southeast Michigan target range to a record class of 700 women.

Seven hundred (700) women who expressed an interest in learning about fundamental firearm safety and target shooting were recently given a free range safety briefing and a complimentary shooting lesson in metro-Detroit. The annual event – now in its seventh year – safely introduced all of the women participants to firearms on Sunday, May 20th at the Top Gun Shooting Range in Taylor, Michigan.

This annual event seeks to introduce women to firearms in a safe and supportive environment. The women were scheduled to participate in one of several range safety briefings in which basic firearm safety rules were taught along with training on shooting stances and elements of marksmanship.

After every group briefing, each woman was paired up with one vetted firearm instructor for a shooting session. The session consisted of loading a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with 20 rounds of ammunition which were then shot into a hanging paper target. Feedback and support were then given to every participant by her individual instructor.

Rick Ector talking with Local Media
Event Organizer Rick Ector talking with Local Media

This program was conceived by Rick Ector – a Detroit area gun rights advocate – seven years ago. One night while viewing the local news telecast for that evening, he saw a story about a woman who was murdered; her body was dumped in a vacant lot. The story haunted Ector as he pondered what could be done to help women better protect themselves. He came up with the idea of offering a free shooting lesson for women.

That first year only 50 women signed up and attended the program. Ector along with five fellow firearm instructors conducted the training. The next year 100 women signed up, and the program continued to grow by leaps and bounds. Last year, 600 women were trained by the program which needed roughly 40 firearm instructors to help oversee the activity. This year’s program needed 50 firearm trainers to safely train a record 700 women participants.

Legally Armed In Detroit Women Training Day Volunteers 2018
Legally Armed In Detroit Women Training Day Volunteers 2018

The firearm instructors who helped run this year’s program are a diverse group. They are too numerous to list individually by name but the organization they represent are listed as the following: the National Rifle Association (NRA), the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), Michigan Gun Owners (MGO), Michigan Open Carry (MOC), National African American Gun Association (NAAGA), and Legally Armed in Detroit (LAID). Many ancillary members also performed useful tasks to keep the event orderly and safe.

Aguila Ammunition provided Ammo for the Women's Training Day Event
Aguila Ammunition provided Ammo for the Women’s Training Day Event

Sponsors also had a huge role in this massive training event. First, the Top Gun Range of Taylor graciously donated their facility for the day. Aguila Ammunition donated 16,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition, Doug Holloway of ATEi donated the use of his firearms, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) donated gun locks, and NRA-ILA donated canvass tote bags.

Legally Armed in Detroit
Legally Armed in Detroit

In all, this year’s firearm training event was a huge success by any measure. Of course, the most important metric was zero injuries, as safety is the most important component of an organized activity this large and complex. In the coming weeks, we will assess how well everything went and set program goals for next year! We may “shoot” for 1,000 women to be trained next year.

For more info about this annual program that trains Detroit-area women how to safely operate 9mm handguns, please contact:

Rick Ector

Web: Legally Armed In Detroit.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 313.733.7404

13 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Marc DV.

I’ll bet 75% went so Junior could
get a free gun lock !!
Getting something free !

Pepe

Why don’t local police offer free gun safety classes?

Harding Dies, LT, SS, SC, USNR (Ret)

Because the politicians, mainly Democrats, don’t want to be seen supporting gun ownership as they are more afraid of PC backlash than the lives of those who would be saved – their career is more important then their constituents.

Notalima

The outrage would go something like this:

“It is totally unacceptable that our taxpayer dollars are being used to normalize these instruments of mass destruction. Normalizing a toxic gun culture, and pushing guns on women who, in most likelihood, would have them taken away and used against them (insert random gun control statistics created by XYZ gun control group). Blah, blah, useless rhetoric, strawaman arguments, and more fake studies and emotional appeals…yadda, yadda…”

Ro Go

Then the agency and the municipality would have liability.

Joe

May your draw be faster, your aim truer, your trigger pull faster, and your cause so just even the most liberal prosecutors afraid to do anything but return”no true bill” and you be featured on page one above the fold as a great defender. GODSPEED!

N.R. Ringlee

I still go to Southern California monthly to teach hunter education and NRA classes. Over the last 20 years gun clubs there have been in the forefront to support the natural right to self defense by conducting clinics, classes and events like Women on Target (NRA) and First Shots (NSSF). I will do a women’s pistol clinic next Friday night. These events are full and there is always a waiting list. The demand is there. If your club is not doing this you are not supporting the cause to the full extent. Our adversaries depend upon fear, misinformation and hyperbole… Read more »

MB

Use the lock to lock their shed, never lock a gun. “Excuse me Mr. Home Invader, while I find the key and unlock my gun.” The only thing those locks are good for is wacking a criminal up-side the head.

Jack Bynum

Agree with the suggestion that the locks be used to enhance school security since Michigan schools are gun free zones.

R C

Outstanding effort!

Fishunter

Great idea. This program should be conducted in every community, large and small. Every woman I talk to about the 2nd. Amendment, I tell them they probably have more reason than most men to have a firearm. The dangers are more, men are more able (usually) to defend themselves and men are not subject to rape. I would like to see the NRA and other shooting associations adopt this idea.

VT Patriot

Great ideas here. Yep, a woman has more need to carry due to physical ‘differences’ than men. Rick Ector is to be applauded for his effort and idea. As well as the various sponsors who made it possible. In todays crazy attitude, the more ladies that join the crowd, the better. My GF decided to get her CCW in CT (of all places) and no-one could be happier than me.
Are you listening Shannon Watts?

Core

Fantastic!