HankT
State Researcher
imported post
to NRA and Ms. McClleland...
I wonder if the NRA-bashers can find anything wrong with this program? GOA do anything like this, anybody know?
Women on Target
October 12, 2007
By: Cheri March, The News Messenger
Patricia McLelland is as comfortable firing a shotgun as she is cooking up the elk the gun might bag for dinner.
But despite strides women have made towards equality over the years, shooting is still viewed largely as a man's domain, McLelland said.
As an instructor of the NRA-sponsored Women on Target shooting clinics at Coon Creek Trap and Skeet Club in Lincoln, she aims to change that.
Women on Target instructor Patricia McLelland takes aim during a practice session while Aillene Cole, background, watches.
"Sports like hunting and fishing have been a slow process for woman - they're still kind of men's sports," McLelland said. "That's why I've stepped up to the plate. I open the door for women not to be intimidated by guns."
On Saturday, 60 women from around the region joined McLelland at Coon Creek to learn to safely store, handle and shoot a 12-gauge.
"It's so much fun," said Pam Dear, a Rocklin resident and clinic participant. "And Patricia's such a good coach."
Since Women on Target's inception in 1999, McLelland has led five local clinics and become the only shotgun-certified instructor for the event in Northern California. The NRA even featured her in last year's Women on Target brochure.
"I've had grandmothers and granddaughters in the same clinic," she said. "We're about creating a safe atmosphere for women to gain knowledge about firearms in an unintimidating way."
McLelland's clinic schools participants in trap shooting. A trap shooter fires at rising targets, such as the bright orange clay pigeons tossed in the air at Coon Creek.
"It's much more fun when you hit it (the target), but it's still fun if you don't," said participant Aillene Cole, a Weimar resident who also shoots with McLelland in a women's league.
Though the clinic teaches hunting skills, not everyone intends to take their newfound knowledge into the field.
"I'm not at all into hunting. I could never kill anything, but I just love the sport," said Julie Renegar, who helps run the clinic, even helping to prepare a homemade lunch for the women. "It's good stress relief."
Renegar, who works for the Placer County Sheriff's Department, credits McLelland with cultivating her interest.
"She's just so enthusiastic about shooting. She got me totally interested," Renegar said. "I had never shot a gun in my life, and I actually hit targets my first time.
"It's empowering," she said. "You don't have to be really athletic to do it. Just about anyone can do it and it makes you feel like you can take care of yourself."
All it takes to learn the sport is a little persistence, McLelland said.
"I've had women say, 'I can't do that,'" she said. "And I say, 'Oh, yes you can. Just put your mind to it.'"
Shooting isn't just a pastime for McLelland - it's her livelihood. She works behind the gun counter at Sportsman's Warehouse in Rocklin, where she often sells firearms to women.
The Auburn resident, who frequently treks to Coon Creek to practice, teach and compete, has been shooting since she was a girl. For her, the sport is a way to connect with family.
"My three children all hunt and fish," she said. "I still go shooting with my 79-year-old dad. Sometimes it seems like all we ever hear about guns is negative, but this is the most positive thing. It's something I'm so passionate about."
http://www.lincolnnewsmessenger.com/articles/2007/10/11/news/top_stories/05target.txt
I wonder if the NRA-bashers can find anything wrong with this program? GOA do anything like this, anybody know?
Women on Target
October 12, 2007
By: Cheri March, The News Messenger
Patricia McLelland is as comfortable firing a shotgun as she is cooking up the elk the gun might bag for dinner.
But despite strides women have made towards equality over the years, shooting is still viewed largely as a man's domain, McLelland said.
As an instructor of the NRA-sponsored Women on Target shooting clinics at Coon Creek Trap and Skeet Club in Lincoln, she aims to change that.
Women on Target instructor Patricia McLelland takes aim during a practice session while Aillene Cole, background, watches.
"Sports like hunting and fishing have been a slow process for woman - they're still kind of men's sports," McLelland said. "That's why I've stepped up to the plate. I open the door for women not to be intimidated by guns."
On Saturday, 60 women from around the region joined McLelland at Coon Creek to learn to safely store, handle and shoot a 12-gauge.
"It's so much fun," said Pam Dear, a Rocklin resident and clinic participant. "And Patricia's such a good coach."
Since Women on Target's inception in 1999, McLelland has led five local clinics and become the only shotgun-certified instructor for the event in Northern California. The NRA even featured her in last year's Women on Target brochure.
"I've had grandmothers and granddaughters in the same clinic," she said. "We're about creating a safe atmosphere for women to gain knowledge about firearms in an unintimidating way."
McLelland's clinic schools participants in trap shooting. A trap shooter fires at rising targets, such as the bright orange clay pigeons tossed in the air at Coon Creek.
"It's much more fun when you hit it (the target), but it's still fun if you don't," said participant Aillene Cole, a Weimar resident who also shoots with McLelland in a women's league.
Though the clinic teaches hunting skills, not everyone intends to take their newfound knowledge into the field.
"I'm not at all into hunting. I could never kill anything, but I just love the sport," said Julie Renegar, who helps run the clinic, even helping to prepare a homemade lunch for the women. "It's good stress relief."
Renegar, who works for the Placer County Sheriff's Department, credits McLelland with cultivating her interest.
"She's just so enthusiastic about shooting. She got me totally interested," Renegar said. "I had never shot a gun in my life, and I actually hit targets my first time.
"It's empowering," she said. "You don't have to be really athletic to do it. Just about anyone can do it and it makes you feel like you can take care of yourself."
All it takes to learn the sport is a little persistence, McLelland said.
"I've had women say, 'I can't do that,'" she said. "And I say, 'Oh, yes you can. Just put your mind to it.'"
Shooting isn't just a pastime for McLelland - it's her livelihood. She works behind the gun counter at Sportsman's Warehouse in Rocklin, where she often sells firearms to women.
The Auburn resident, who frequently treks to Coon Creek to practice, teach and compete, has been shooting since she was a girl. For her, the sport is a way to connect with family.
"My three children all hunt and fish," she said. "I still go shooting with my 79-year-old dad. Sometimes it seems like all we ever hear about guns is negative, but this is the most positive thing. It's something I'm so passionate about."
http://www.lincolnnewsmessenger.com/articles/2007/10/11/news/top_stories/05target.txt
