On the wish list for lots of women this year: guns or gun accessories. “Popularity with women has been growing steadily for about five to 10 years now,” said Dean White, manager at Shooter’s Express in Mount Holly.
The stats are there to back him. The number of women who take part in shooting sports saw a 51-percent spike between 2001 and 2011 — to a little more than 5 million women, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. And manufacturers are taking notice. Hot pink rifles and pink camouflage rifle cases leap out among the stacks of black and green merchandise in the shooting range store. “They’re making a special effort to be user friendly to the female market and not be as intimidating,” White said.
The number of local women taking firearms courses is also up, White said. At least 30 to 35 percent of the concealed carry classes at Shooter’s Express are made up of women.
Protection and sport: Tyler Bean, manager at The Great Outdoors in Cherryville, watched his wife take up hunting three years ago. It was a hobby of his and she wanted to join in. Bean credits his wife’s new hobby to TV shows like “The Crush” and “Driven.” Both are Outdoor Channel hunting programs featuring female leads. “A lot more women are hunting on TV with hunting shows. That’s picking up big time,” Bean said.
Besides the thrill of the sport, women are looking for personal protection. “They want to be able to take care of themselves,” White said.
Hot ticket items: Shooter’s Express boasts a number of female-geared gun supplies. Among the most popular are the Gun Tote’n Mama purses. The women’s handbags have a built-in compartment to hold a gun. The separate pocket holds a holster for easier carrying.
And there are accessories like the petal-pink Susan G. Komen carrying cases and rifle bags. Handguns and shotguns come in pink, too. Or women can opt for a pearl grip, if they’re not that into pink, White said.
Either way, White advises husbands, boyfriends and others buying a gun for the women in their lives to think twice. A pretty color doesn’t guarantee satisfied shooter. “Guns are more of a personal decision,” he said. “Everyone has their individual preferences. Rather than making a $1,000 mistake, get her a gift card or let her come in and shoot it to see what she likes.”