Yes, I’m a female and yes, I have a firearm..several in fact. Does having a firearm make me a redneck? No. Should I look a certain way because I own and shoot a firearm? No. Then why do people act the way they do when the find out?

I got a call yesterday from a businessman I work with on and off. We’ve never met, I live on the East Coast, he lives elsewhere. In our first conversation, he mentioned that he gets more liberal every year. I politely mentioned that it may be a good idea for our business relationship if we keep politics out of it. It’s business..and he paid me extremely well for what I had done for him. We worked together for a few months and then he changed gears and didn’t need my services for the time being. I’d get a call to check in every few months. No problem.

Yesterday’s call was apparently prompted by my Google+ profile picture. It’s the same one I use on this forum. Anybody here got a problem with it? “You’re Google profile picture, is that you?” Me: Umm, yes. Him: With a gun? You have a gun? Me: I have several firearms. Him: Why. Me: Because I shoot.

I changed the subject back to business and a few minutes later he mentioned that he wondered if it were smart for me to use a picture “like that” on a public profile. I was polite, as I was hoping to do more work for him in the future, but REALLY? Is it that bad? Am I missing something? I explained that my Google+ profile is used mainly to keep in touch with other firearms enthusiasts that I’ve met on various forums and I don’t use it to solicit business, not that I would be worried that my profile picture would hinder that. My work speaks for itself. Then I get this...”Wow, between the gun picture and your Skype picture, you must be some kind of a control freak, no?” My Skype picture is me on my horse.

OK, my temper is now up, and I was less polite than I had been during the conversation because I now no longer care if I work for him again. My answer was simply, “I have a horse, and I have firearms, I do not see what one has to do with the other, nor do I see where you’re going with this, or how it would affect our working relationship. My personal life is none of your business, nor is your personal life any of mine.

I’m a proud NRA member. I’m a proud American. Why are people so phobic of firearms and those of us who choose to own and enjoy them? You don’t want one? GREAT! That’s your choice! I happen to enjoy mine, so leave me alone. He ended up asking me to look into something for him, but I’m not at all sure now I want to even deal with him again.

Is it a political thing? Is it because I’m a woman? Would a male associate of his even be questioned? Just the fact that he felt the need to bring it up (twice) pisses me off..anybody ever have anything similar happen to them?

Well, I've done it. After finding out this morning that my NYS Pistol License has been re-assigned to a different Judge, I carefully composed a letter asking that my license be converted to an unrestricted (CCW) license.

I'm 90% sure I'll be denied because in my county, you need to "prove need." I don't happen to have a "need" just a "want" and a right as a US citizen.  (Which don't really seem to matter around here..)

Sooooo..I'll sit on pins and needles until I hear back from him. He can't be any less 2A friendly than my issuing judge. I figure, all he can do is deny me, then I'm right back to where I am today. BUT, in the off chance he goes ahead with it, it will be a major victory.

My first blog written a few weeks ago, and featured by GirlsGuide2Guns..

Last week was pretty fun! Being pretty new to shooting, I decided a good thing to do would be to go through the NRA Marksmanship ratings, one by one. When one of the guys from the club emailed me to see if I wanted to go shooting Thursday afternoon, I jumped at the chance because I’m not all that comfortable being there alone yet.  I let my 14-year-old daughter tag along with me, it would be her first real afternoon at the range.

Geared up with my paper plates and my trusty Buck Mark Camper .22 pistol, I set my table to the required 15 foot mark for my Pro Marksman rating. I needed 10 plates, with 5 shots each, with none closer to the edge than a half-inch. I accomplished this easily and earned my first rating quickly!

One of the other gentleman from my club, whom I hadn’t met before that day mentioned that I should join them on Sunday for the clubs Bulls-eye Competition Shoot. “Me? Seriously? No, I’m too new at this..” His reply? “You’re a natural, see you Sunday..”  

My husband and I went down on Sunday, and they talked me into trying it. Gotta say, I had a lot of fun, and, I did OK, even scoring some 10s! I was the only female there (I think I may be the only female in the club!) and I was the only person not shooting with a Red Dot sight, just me and my Buck Mark’s iron sights. We had to shoot one-handed. I’d never done that before. And the targets? They were 25 yards away, yeah, never done that before either.

I’ll go back and join them again on another Sunday. You have to attend 4 shoots to qualify for the prizes, and while I won’t be winning any prizes..I’ll be ready for the next series of shoots later this year! Now to find time to earn my NRA Marksman rating..that’s my next goal!