The 1840 story:
I was busy with life, children, church, and family when my husband challenged me to get my concealed handgun license. This is when it really began for me and changed the way I thought about guns and safety for me and my girls. I took my first concealed carry class and felt the thrill of shooting for the first time. I was amazed to how that simple step changed my whole way of think
ing about guns and how empowered I felt to know I could take care of me and my girls. This made me want to go to the Range which I had no idea how to do, where to go, could I go by my self? These were things I learned with my husband’s help since he knew about guns, and what to do when I got there. I am lucky that my husband started with gun safety which is what matters at a local gun range. I felt out of place like I was on Mars and out of my league by far. When my husband walked up to one of the old guys at the range and said "Hi where do we start on the range” The old guys turned out to very friendly and were willing to answer many of my questions. It felt strange for a while since I seemed to never run into any ladies at the range. I finally got the courage to ask a lady friend if she wanted to go with me, she said yes! So I figured out the secret to the range, ask people to come with you, that’s when it became even more fun! So I got a bunch of ladies together from the neighborhood, kid’s schools, and social groups to go shooting at the range. It was fun with the group but I soon learned that most women were afraid of guns so I wanted to change their feelings and became an NRA range safety officer; I then trained to become a NRA a pistol instructor and while doing that discovered the NRA Refuse to be A Victim class. Everything started coming together; the classes taught so much about awareness and safety that I and most other woman were in so much denial about here doing all our daily life. When researching my family history at the same time I began to notice the hard struggles the people in my family tree had just to make it through life. In 1840 my great great great great great grandfather received a land grant from the Republic of Texas It started me thinking about all the things that a woman would fear then and how it compared to today. What I discovered is that an 1840 woman did not fear the everyday life and would confront danger head on. We don't need to advertise our greatness we just need to do it. I found that the old way of doing life works to keep women safe today. We had just moved and needed to meet my neighbors around me so I started connecting by taking a cake to each house. It really surprised me how many of us go and run to the same places but never knew that because people are now afraid to go out and greet one another. Then it came to me during the 1840’s every neighbor knew each other and the stores knew the names of customers so I started learning their names to which they remembered me and so bringing the past back to life and safer as I go about my daily life. My neighborhood is safer since we know each other and look out for each other. The people at the store look out for others now they know some of the customers that are regular shoppers. The woman I have taken to the range have all admitted they leave themselves open to become a victim once it pointed out to them. So this is my discovery of life now and how so much of the 1840’s life style really still applies today to a family’s awareness and safety.
