Tuesday, August 21, 2012

SAH Mom With a Passion for Weaponry

I was maybe 14 or 15 when I shot my first gun. In some eyes that's young and in some eyes I was a bit "long in the tooth" for my first shot.

Wait, wait, wait... I've gotten ahead of myself. Perhaps I should start with my name, no?

My name is Maggi, or as you'll come to know me, Le Femme. I am a stay at home/work from home mama of 2 beautiful wee ones. Our 3 year old daughter, Olivia (or as she's better known, Livy Doodle) is a pistol (heh heh!) and we wouldn't have it other way; and our 11 month old son, Tyler a.k.a. Baby Man, is a tank. Petite, but with the force of a Mack Truck.

So, as I was saying, I was around 14 or 15 when I fired my first gun. It was my dad's Sig P230 .380 ACP.
[PAUSE FOR EDUCATION]

Because there will be times when people will just rattle off quick specs of their weaponry and you may likely feel too embarassed or shy (or they're just too over-excited about their gun to stop so you can ask them a question) to ask them what the heck they're talking about, here is a comparison of some the more common rounds.

What is not listed here is a .38 Special (which is slight thinner but taller than the .45 ACP),  the .40 SW (which is ever so slightly thinner than the .45 ACP but a bit shorter), and the .22 LR (which is well.....tiny). ***Please ignore the portion of this diagram that says "actual size", those are NOT the acutal size of any of those rounds, they are merely a means of showing a comparison*** 


{OKAY, BACK TO THE STORY]
It was love at first shot. My dad had been shooting competitively most of his life. I grew up oogling at the many marksmanship trophys that were sprawled around his basement. Not in any particular order or in cases, typical Dad. Just strewn about.

Why my dad waited so long to introduce me to the wonderful world of firearms, I'll never know, but I suppose the good thing is that he did at all! After that, there wasn't a weekend visit that didn't involve at least one day at the range. But, I'll get into more detail about a day at the range with the Old Man in another post.

My other hobbies include tearing up the slopes on my snowboard, baking delicious goodies for my loved ones, trying out new recipes on my guinea pigs (kids & other half), and reading - I LOVE to read - mostly mindless mysteries/fiction. Patterson, Koontz, that sort of thing.

All in all, I'm just your average girl who happens to be a snowboarding, baking, cooking, cleaning, shopping and SHOOTING mom of 2.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

femMEETPISTOLet

Welcome to Femme Et Pistolet!

        Whether you're here because someone pushed you to "just check it out" or you're here on your own volition doesn't matter. It only matters that you're here!

        The purpose of this blog is create a femmes ONLY, judgment free, no pressure environment in which to slowly and SAFELY introduce all you femmes out there to what can be a wonderful world of firearms.

        You will notice that the title of this blog is aptly named "Femme et Pistolet" (pron. fem et pistolay), which roughly translates to "Woman and Gun" and if you look closely also, cleverly (if I may say so), contains "meet pistol".

       The avenues that this blog will eventually take, know no bounds. Activities will include:

          * Gab About Guns: A chance to meet some other femmes in the area who may be interested in guns. At these events NO GUNS WILL BE PRESENT. It will simply be an environment in which to discuss any fears, apprehensions, thoughts, questions and goals. Food and drink will of course be available!

          * Gun Party: Like an Avon, Tupperware, etc. party, this will be a chance to look at or even hold some UNLOADED ONLY firearms. There will be NO AMMUNITION at these events. This is merely an opportunity to hold a gun, if you never have, without being at a gun range or the like and without fear of it going off in your hand. Food and drink will of course be available!

          * Day at the Range: A day for a small groups (max. 3 including myself) to go to a gun range and POSSIBLY fire a gun. There will be NO PRESSURE to fire. This is a chance to just check out a gun in action, observe, learn and maybe give it a try! Food and drink will of course be available! (are you noticing a theme here???)

         These are just some of the many possibilities of the Femmes Et Pistolet movement. I hope you will give it a shot! (get it??) In the meantime, let's get to know one another and answer any questions you may have.

        Any questions can be sent via the "Comments" below or can be emailed to me directly and I will post them (as "anonymous") with a response here on my blog. All responses will be well researched and, if warranted, will also include my opinion. I will clearly distinguish the two.

        Also please feel free to comment here or email me just to introduce yourself and give me any suggestions you may have for the direction of this blog!