I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer at a Shoot Like a Girl (SLAG) event a few weeks ago, and I am floored by the amazing things this group of ladies is doing for women. The event starts with this show stopper of a truck and trailer pulling into the location. 
Then a gaggle of beautiful women pop out and set up this hands on gun display. 
They have rifles, pistols and revolvers. It is a great setup and made even better because you can actually feel the guns, rack them and determine if they are a fit for you.
On the inside they have a Bluefire Technology simulator where you can shoot a variety of AR-15 and pistols as well as an archery range with slightly reduced recoil so the shooter has a good gun experience the first time. As a relative newbie to AR-15s and handguns, I went through the whole demonstration. My dominant eye changed to left last year after LASIK. When I bought my shotgun last year, I didn’t want to take the time to re-learn how to shoot, I know it wasn’t the best idea but it was easier. The first thing Rebecca asked me about was my dominant eye. She proceeded to explain to me that I needed to be shooting left handed. This was probably the most awkward experience for me, because thinking that I knew what I was doing and not having a clue about the right way to do anything left handed made me super nervous. Rebecca made me calm down and slowly walked me through the process. 
Having learned archery the wrong way and then struggling for years with doing it wrong and slowly learning good form and practice, learning how to shoot a pistol the right way the first time around is invaluable. This instills confidence. Since my run through the gun side of the SLAG event, I have been shooting several times and have been able to impart my lessons to my friends and their children. I have been working on my knowledge and am able to articulate what I want in a side arm as well as having a good grasp of how to safely operate and work with firearms. This is another area where SLAG excels. I witnessed Rebecca and Karen help many women walk through the display guns and assist them in finding their needs and how to try guns to find the right one for their purposes.
As an avid archer, I was interested in seeing how the archery instruction side of the SLAG truck worked. I love that rather than going through a complicated shot sequence, they tell you the basics and walk you through the shot sequence as you go. For an archery experience, this is exactly what you need. 
My goal is to see many women in the outdoors and in shooting sports. Getting a small glimpse of the amazing things this group is doing for women is powerful. My personal experience of just getting out there and becoming more comfortable with firearms shows the amazing impacts this program can have for women just like me. When Karen gave us our morning pep talk and said, “You can change someone’s life today,” I wasn’t so sure. Then the hugs and the thank yous started as the participants came out. The ladies at Shoot Like a Girl really care about the women they are out there to reach. There is nothing more wonderful than a pure intention and SLAG has that in the biggest way. Be sure to check them out when the truck comes your way.
