Women Getting Trigger Happy

March 19, 2006 — -- More women, from soccer moms to professionals like the ones at the Blue Ridge Arsenal gun range in Chantilly, Va., are packing heat for sport, self-empowerment and protection.

"I am a short, chubby housewife," said Jaque Blundell of Arlington, Va. "I'm not as scared of the bad guys, because the guns are my great equalizer."

The gun industry is catering to women with everything from more girly guns and apparel to all-female hunting trips and free ladies nights at the range. It's clear the feminine touch is adding up to big business.

"A quarter to a third of all our customers here are women shooters," said Keith Weaver, who works at the Blue Ridge Arsenal.

Five years ago, the National Rifle Association offered just 13 firearms training classes for women. Today, there are more than 200 nationwide.

"If you look at statistics, there are more crimes of passion committed by men than there are women," said Sandra Froman, president of the NRA. "But I say that everyone has their emotions, and one of the things you learn when you take firearms classes is you learn to control your emotions."

Froman is the second female NRA president in 130 years. She said that owning guns usually begins as a self-defense tactic for many women and turns into a love for the sport.