The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Women learn to shoot guns for a variety of reasons: hunting, competitive shooting, self- and home-defense, and the ability to control an object capable of inflicting great harm. Shooting responsibily, knowing how to care for a firearm and having the right mindset about the whole issue is just as crucial as being able to hit a target accurately.

Maureen Rogers incorporates all those aspects in her business, “Lady Gets a Gun.”

Her goal is to assist women to become comfortable with firearms while also addressing related fears and dismantling fallacies surrounding guns.

“Desensitizing someone to a gun starts with handling it. It is kinesthetic, not academic.” she said.

The act of holding, taking apart, cleaning and putting a firearm back together gives a sense of confidence and ownership right from the start. Working in small groups or in private sessions builds on that. Overcoming obstacles to being comfortable around guns often brings out hidden emotional issues that Rogers is able to help her students work through.

One of her students faced down a repressed memory of being threatened with a gun as a child. It wasn’t until she saw a firearm lying on the table that the memory started to return. With Rogers’ help and the act of handling and firing the gun herself, she was able to overcome the trauma that had sat hidden and unresolved all her life.

“Hearing the heart stories of my students is what drives me to do this,” Rogers said.

Rogers was a special-education teacher for 35 years, in Hawaii and Central Oregon. She came to her current vocation after realizing that she needed and wanted to do something useful in her retirement and that many women are intimidated by firearms and co-ed classes. (Rogers and her husband, Norman, do teach co-ed classes for those who wish to learn with a friend or partner).

She has been teaching firearms classes formally for 10 years. Her credentials from the NRA are as a pistol, rifle, shotgun, home firearm safety instructor and chief range safety officer. Her courses cover two days, with the first spent in a classroom. The second day is at the Redmond Rod and Gun Club.

The next course is set for November 8-9; there is a break during winter and the 2020 classes begin in March. For more information, visit http://www.ladygetsagun.com or email [email protected]