I made a lot of shots during Hoopfest weekend, but none of them was with a basketball.
When I received a media invite from Shoot Like A Girl to visit its mobile shooting range at Cabela’s in Post Falls, it sounded like a fun Saturday excursion.
Shoot Like A Girl is a marketing company focused on empowering women to participate in shooting sports with confidence.
Its mobile shooting range features a military-grade firearms simulator and travels the country with certified female instructors. They offer women 18 and older the opportunity to shoot a compound bow, a handgun and an AR-15 rifle.
The cutting-edge technology provides immediate recoil, impact and sound feedback, creating a realistic shooting experience.
Over the past 15 years, 36,578 guests have participated in SLG2, Inc. experiences, according to statistics from 2023.
I’m no sharpshooter, but I’m not exactly a novice.
My high school sweetheart was into skeet shooting and he took me along once or twice.
No skeets were harmed by me on these outings, because I couldn’t hit a dang thing. The sport required more coordination than I possessed. By the time I had the shotgun raised, the clay pigeon had sailed past before I could fire.
I’m pretty sure that’s not why he dumped me, but who knows?
Several years ago, I wrote a column about the Spokane Practical Pistol League. After a thorough gun safety briefing at the practice range, I tried out a variety of handguns.
A .22 with a laser sight was my favorite and the satisfying ping of a bullet hitting the steel target proved fun.
I’d also visited Sharp Shooting Indoor Range and Gun Shop with a group of gals for Ladies Night. We got to shoot zombie targets.
No zombies needed to be double-tapped at the Shoot Like a Girl mobile shooting range. Event manager Dub Fincher stressed that safety and education are paramount.
Inside the semi-trailer, archery instructor Shawn selected a compound bow for me to try.
I quickly discovered I’m no Katniss Everdeen. The bow and the shooting stance felt awkward, but my arrows safely lodged in the target area.
Shawn handed me off to TBuzz, who covered gun safety protocol. Although no live rounds are fired within the simulator, she explained that every gun should be treated as if it’s loaded and lethal.
TBuzz fitted me with safety glasses and digital noise-canceling earmuffs which protected my ears while allowing me to hear her instructions.
The handgun with the laser felt comfortable and was easy to use. I even hit a bull’s-eye. The rifle required a bit more effort and I was glad they provided a stand for steadier aim.
Back outside the trailer, Fincher introduced me to the latest in pepper spray options and walked me through how to use it.
“If someone is approaching you in a threatening manner, extend your palm out, loudly yell, ‘STOP! I don’t know you!’ and then deploy the spray.”
A mannequin named Bob the Bad Guy served as the target for the inert pepper spray.
“Aim above the eyes, then across the nose and back toward the mouth in a Z for Zorro pattern,” Dub said. “And don’t use it all in case there’s another bad guy.”
If Bob had been an actual baddie, he would have been in a world of hurt by the time I was done with him.
Shoot Like A Girl offers these experiences at no charge. They had a gun bar for guests to check out various models, several gun safes to peruse and a display of concealed carry handbags. Those items were available for purchase inside Cabela’s.
“We encourage people to find a local ladies’ shooting group,” Fincher said
If shooting like a girl means pepper spraying the heck out of Bad Guy Bob, nailing a bull’s-eye with a handgun and scoring a respectable cluster of hits from 50 yards with an AR-15, then I most definitely shoot like a girl. Maybe I’ll give skeet shooting another try.
For more information on Shoot Like a Girl visit shootlikeagirl.com/
Cindy Hval 