Gun owners at Shot Show 2024 answer what they wish non-gun people knew about them. They emphasize the community is welcoming, inclusive, and safety-focused, with women, transgender shooters, and international participants. Ranges and shops help newcomers overcome fear through training.
Trying to make everyone answer. If you could tell non-gun people what you wish non-gun people knew about gun people, what would it be?
They are probably the kindest, most open-hearted people in the world. And I mean, I obviously have occupied kind of an odd niche, you know, I'm a conservative transgender woman, which is kind of weird. Nobody cares.
Who doesn't love our conservative transgender women, honestly?
Nobody cares. I mean, it's like, are you safe? Are you a good person? That's pretty much the only two questions that people in the gun world seem to really be worried about.
Okay, if you could tell non-gun people about gun people, what is like the one thing you wish people knew?
I, I really wish people realize how welcome we—
how welcome you are.
I mean, you can go to a range, you can go to your local gun shop, you can go online and connect with shooters, and they're going to be so helpful. And I know it can seem really daunting because there's so many different models of firearms, there's so many different types, but really you have there's so much knowledge and resource around you that, uh, to tap into that, because we, we'd love to have you out here. Oh, how amazing this community is. It's wonderful.
I do say gun girls are fun girls.
Absolutely.
Okay, so, um, I used to be terrified of guns. I thought there needed to be more gun laws.
All right, so the short version is afraid of, thinking there needs to be more regulations, to carry one as often as you can.
One person has The first class I took, I came away going, the media lies.
Second question is, if there was one thing you could boil this down into, if you were an ungunned person, what would you want people to know about gun people?
We're nice people. We're normal people. We're not crazy. And, you know, just come and join us because you shoot for that first time and you're going to get that smile and that feeling of, yes, I can do it.
All my life people have been saying I can't, but yes, I can.
There you go.
Very cool.
Hello.
Hi, my name is Kelly. I am also known as She Fires on YouTube and Instagram. I focus on self-defense and personal safety in all forms, mainly with the firearm, but I also am involved with martial arts.
What do you think is one of the most important things you could tell a non-gun person about gun people?
I think that we're very responsible.
We take it very seriously.
I think just with media and other outlets that talk, you know, sometimes negatively, I feel like it's my responsibility to show a different side, a positive side. I think that's why I kind of got involved, being a woman, a petite woman at that, to be an example that we can come in all forms and we love, you know, we love shooting, right? But we also love to defend ourselves, right?
Yes, my name is Miona and I come from Serbia. I'm a shooting competitor and also shooting instructor. I do teach women and I prefer to do that, especially with women that are, um, never had any contact with weapons and that actually are a bit afraid of touching a gun, seeing a gun, hearing a gun. So that, that, that for me is a great challenge to just relax them, to tell them that it's okay, and then we go through that drill. I mean, it's not a drill.
It's, it's a friendly environment where I can deliver all your fears.
And the satisfaction that I get from it, it's right after 45 minutes or 35 minutes of training, I can see their confidence growing. And I, and I know they are changing their vibes and they're more confident and they're more empowered.
We do, although we just met 5 minutes ago.
Exactly.
Well, this is where, like, I tell people, gun girls are fun girls, right?
Gun girls are fun girls. Yes, I couldn't agree more.
Yes.
