Girls and Their Guns teaches women self-defense, gun safety

MINTURN - "Stop! I have a gun. Leave my house," shouted the 11-year-old girl.

And with the words barely out of her mouth, Noel Smith opened fire.

Any intruder would be dead on his back, but this was just practice. Noel, along with seven other women, was practicing her marksmanship at a session of Girls and Their Guns, a summer-long program that teaches women how to shoot and about gun safety.

On the crisp Saturday morning at the Minturn firing range, shots echoed across the valley leaving the smell of gunpowder lingering in the air.

Noel cocked her head, squinted her eyes, placed one leg in front of the other and squeezed the trigger. Five women lined up next to her in variations of the same stance.

"I've always wanted to know what guns were like and how they were used," said Noel, who's been shooting for nearly two years and learned of the program from her karate teacher, Mathew Bayley, who teaches the gun class. "When I heard he was doing this, I really wanted to try it. ... I've been stuck to it ever since."

Easing into firearms

But not everyone was as gung-ho about shooting as Noel, who reined her dad and 10-year-old sister, Celia, into the sport. When Nancy Jones-Broder's husband suggested they start shooting a couple of years ago, Jones-Broder was less than thrilled about the idea.

"I didn't like guns," she said. "I was afraid of them."

Jones-Broder recalled visiting an indoor shooting range in Denver.

"I cried the whole time," she said.

Girls and Their Guns has helped foster a strong bond between Jones-Broder and her .45. She said she now enjoys the challenge of hitting the target.

"I teach uncomfortable subjects in a way that makes them comfortable," Bayley said. "Shooting is just one aspect of personal empowerment. Firearms are a very self-empowering self-protection tool."

But he knows not everybody is as encouraging about guns as he is. "I'm comfortable with people who are opposed to firearms, that's fine," Bayley said.

"But if you're trying to protect your family, a firearm is the best way to do it," he said. "A firearm is a last-resort tool, but if and when you need it, you really need it."

'A lot of guns'

Kim Sheridan hadn't picked up a gun in years but was relieved she kept one at home when a man broke into her Wildridge home four years ago.

"I was screaming at him to get out of my house, 'I have a gun and I will shoot you,'" she said.

The man left and was later picked up by police, and Sheridan put her .38 Special away again until last Saturday.

"There are just some things happening in the community that made me aware that I need to be competent with my gun," said the San Antonio native who began using firearms when she was 5.

As a single mother, Sheridan said the gun gives her a sense of security.

"And it's a great sport, a great adrenaline rush," she said.

Diana McSpadden said being comfortable with a gun is critical in today's violent world.

"You never know when you're going to need to know how to get bullets out of a gun or put them in," said McSpadden, a novice markswoman, who only started shooting two months ago. "There are a lot of guns in the world."

Guns for life

Whether for recreation or to feel safer at night, Bayley said shooting is all about taking control.

"Guns are a reality of life," he said.

Watching his daughter load her gun, Noel's dad, Paul Smith, said he's happy his eldest daughter found a hobby that's not only fun but also teaches life lessons, he said.

"Guns are very misunderstood," he said. "This is teaching her how to deal with peer pressure, teaching her safety skills. She's been trained to know what to do when guns come out."

When the ladies are done with the program, they'll receive certificates from the National Rifle Association for basic handgun safety - a prerequisite for applying for a concealed firearms permit.

They'll also get together for a final potluck and awards ceremony, but there's a good chance many will see each other again.

"There's a camaraderie between people who do things to empower themselves," Bayley said.

For more information, call Mathew Bayley 949-8121 or visit ontargetatvail.com.

Girls and Their Guns

• Slogan: “It’s like a Tupperware party where you get to shoot the Tupperware.”

• Mantra: “Guns are good. Guns are our friends.”

Gun facts

Mathew Bayley, Girls and Their Guns instructor, says:

• In 90 percent of gun fights, shooters are within 20 feet of each other.

• In 90 percent of those fights, the shooters are within five feet of each other.

• Women are naturally better with firearms than men because they have better-developed eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills and slower heart rates.