It is hard to believe that our very first National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day is almost here! We have 35 ranges across this great country who are hosting events. The enthusiasm and support has been amazing and humbling.
We recently received a very generous donation that gives us a start for next year. Mark your calendars now, the 3rd Sat in June 2013 and each year after! We will begin planning in earnest in July, after taking a little time to decompress from this event, examine lessons learned and gather input from the participating ranges on how we can make things better for them next year, and how we can attract more ranges and more sponsors!
If you can’t be with a participating range on Sat, maybe you can plan a family activity, go shoot together, go to a park, even sit down for a board game. You will be with us in thought.
Safe Shooting and have an amazing day!
Oops! When I first heard of this about 6 weeks ago, I developed my own shooting match for our daughters. 1 of the 4 can’t attend since she’s a USAF Officer currently at Ft Dix for Combat Skills training (again) for her upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. I recruited our daughter-in-law to keep it at a nice round number of four. I invited our 17 & 21yr old granddaughters, but as of yet…I haven’t heard a word from either them or their moms. Shucks?
The initial message I rec’d about this idea (can’t recall the source) read: “DADS” Take your daughter to the Range Day”, hence the Oops. Our day at the range will consist of open fire with many weapons: 22 rimfire, 32acp, 380, 9mm, 40S&W, 45acp, 38 & 357mag in the handgun arena. For long arms the gurlz will have access to 22 rimfire, loads for .223 & high-pressure 5.56, 243, 7mm-08, ’06, as well as 20 & 12ga shotguns. Thank goodness for UpLula & ProMag speed loaders! I figure between four of them (plus me) there goes 500-750 or more high-dollar center fire rounds coupled with half a carton plus or the more of affordable rimfire ammo just burning lead for the pure pleasure of it. Let Freedom Ring (Wear your plugs & muffs!)
After sufficient ‘warm up’ our daughters will compete against the target in a 3-gun test of marksmanship using a weapon of their choice in 22 rimfire rifle at 25 and 50yds; MSR/M4 at 50 & 100yds, then finish up with a handgun at 7yds (prescribed MO RS distance for CCW) while targeting a mini silhouette target, making 45 hits possible for score.
I’ll serve as the Range Boss for the day. The range is on our eldest daughter’s farm; it’s lasered. As the “boss”, I may take some heat afterward with some quibbling. We’ll just have to wait and see how well or poorly the perform. Since our youngest is just a month shy of her 32nd birthday, they’ll be awarded 1st-3rd with “adult-themed” prizes in each discipline with an overall Grand Champion named for the highest combined number of points with all 3 weapons. The lowest scoring shooter will receive 2 special prizes to help heal “the hurts” from letting the others trounce upon their ego. It’s a girl’s day out and the goal is fun. For our daughters…it’s all about the BRAGGING RIGHTS. Hopefully they’ll share the experience with their friends and acquaintances. Maybe…just maybe this fledgling program will grow exponentially across the country in the coming years.
Thanks for a grand idea! A little competition at the range helps to reinforce skills. We know that turning a black rifle or high-cap pistol loose is a joy that makes just about anyone forget their cares, worries and troubles for a spell. Concentrating on the front sight or cross hairs leaves little room for other distractions to creep in.
Remember and teach or re-teach the Commandments of Gun Safety. Please keep the original Ten Commandments at the forefront while we’re at it…then go have a blast…literally! May God bless and watch over all participants this coming Saturday. And may God once again…Bless the USA!
Spoon USAF Ret
Rural, MO
Thank you and your daughter for your service! Have a safe shoot and have fun!
Are there any ranges hosting this in or around Tulss, Oklahoma? Thanks
None in OK this, but you can help by encouraging a local range to participate next year. It will be the 3rd Sat in June and we will kick off our planning in July.
GOOD LUCK & BEST WISHES FOR A FUN-FILLED DAY OF SENDING PRECIOUS METAL DOWN RANGE BY OUR PRECIOUS “LITTLE ONES”. HAVE A GREAT EXPERIENCE AT THE RANGE TOMORROW!
Remember to POLICE THE RANGE and not only remove you brass and trash, but pick up what others may have left behind to show that the “girls”are true shooting/outdoors sports enthusiasts that want to leave the place in better condition than when they arrived. That’s the kind of ambassadorship that our daughters can display and secure more opportunities for future events. When boys do it…it’s just ‘a thing’. When the female gender gets involved…it opens up a new opportunity for positive press and advances the shooting sports industry as a whole.
To those that couldn’ t find a sponsoring range…make sure that doesn’t happen again next year by paying a visit and “talking up” this fantastic new concept. If anyone know Sig’s icon/shooting star Max Michel? when he was a senior in high school in one of my classes at Andrew Jackson HS in
Chalmetter, LA , I believe he really suffered his shooters ‘epiphany’. A younger FEMALE student out-shot him in a local match. He told me the following Monday, ” A girl beat me”. The rest of his story is recorded in his accomplishments as wellas the record books. Ladies feel proud of the fact that in some way “A GOOD WOMAN IS BEHIND EVERY MAN’S SUCCESSES”. Shoot straight – shoot often.
Later,
Spoon, USAF Ret
Otterville, MO
Spoon, USAF Ret
Otterville MO.