HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - After an overwhelmingly positive response following our special report, Firing Back: More women buying, shooting and carrying guns, NewsChannel 3 decided to dig deeper into the topic around Hampton Roads.
Women said it’s about empowerment; women empowering women. Females are the new demographic in the world of firearms. Most use shooting as a way to be proactive and prepared for the unpredictability of life.
Kim Thumel, an NRA instructor, trains women from ages 18 to 80 and said one of her training groups teaches firearm safety and use to members of churches. She said previous tragedies show that anyone can be a target and it is always better to know how to defend yourself than to be left feeling helpless.
Thumel said many of her pupils come to her looking to build confidence. “I’ve had women who have had their homes broken into while they were there and military spouses who are there because their significant other is deployed and they have kids and they want to handle themselves in a situation if that happens,” said Thumel.
The owner of Bob’s Gun Shop in Norfolk, Robert Marcus, said so many women are buying guns that distributors have even started marketing to them by selling pink and purple handguns.
Take the news with you wherever you go - click here for info on the NewsChannel 3 News and Weather Apps.
Click here to sign up for news email alerts from NewsChannel 3.
