TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

SIGHTS SET ON SAFETY

ADVERTISEMENT

By JO-ANN JOHNSTON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2007

SHADY HILLS - Elizabeth Engler is an attentive mother of six who makes sure her school-age children check in by cell phone during the day, say an evening prayer before dinner and adhere to strict bedtimes.

She is adamant about doing everything she can to keep her children safe and grounded in Christian values. But the 40-year-old Holiday woman wants to do even more to keep herself and her family protected. She also wants her 23-year-old daughter, Jessica Tufano, who just had a baby of her own, to follow suit.

So the mother-daughter team turned out for a free firearms safety class Saturday, exclusively for women. About 15 women, ages 17 and older, attended the introductory training, which was sponsored by the Second Amendment Club of Land O' Lakes.

'It's getting harder and harder for women to protect themselves,' Engler said during a break from her shooting practice. Her own home, she said, has been broken in to three times in the past seven years, even with security systems and dogs. Her west Pasco neighborhood has seen 18 break-ins in the past six months, she said.

Then Engler and Tufano heard about the workshop. The training came highly recommended. Engler's dad, Teddy Chmielnicki, is a member of the club.

Most of the women who attend these workshops, which are offered periodically by the club, have never handled a gun, said John DiGaetano, club president and one of the workshop instructors. He considers their inexperience a benefit. They haven't learned any dangerous or bad habits - such as automatically putting their finger to the trigger of a gun - from being self-taught or badly taught in proper gun-handling.

The women's novice class focuses on learning how to fire .22-caliber guns, both revolvers and semiautomatic handguns. The smaller weapons are considered easier to start with than the .38- or .40-caliber guns on the market.

Bringing Yoga To The Firing Range

About five students line up at a time along a row of folding tables. Instructors stand beside them and provide tips as the students take aim and fire at target sheets.

Other students stand or sit nearby, picking up tips about proper stance and balance as they watch.

'I was a little nervous, but it actually wasn't bad,' said Bridget Odom, who fired a gun for the first time Saturday morning.

Odom, a 52-year-old nurse, wore a T-shirt from a yoga class to the firing range. She acknowledged the divide between her yoga practice and learning to fire a gun, but said the gun class was practical.

She said she has felt for a long time she needed to learn more about firearms for her own safety.

'Even just going to the mall' can expose a woman to hazards these days, she said.

She's not rushing to buy a gun, though. She wants to take more classes before deciding, and she wants to bring her 35-year-old daughter to a class.
Tufano turned out to be a natural firing a gun, able to relax and aim accurately. Her mom had a little more difficulty with her aim but praised the instructors for their patience.

'I think they're doing the right thing,' Engler said.

Youth Workshop Is This Weekend

Not that she is in a big hurry to bring home a gun, either. Her youngest child is 6, so having a gun around is too risky for several more years, she said.

But Engler considers her older children ready for some instruction in gun handling and safety. In fact, the Second Amendment Club will host a youngsters' workshop Saturday.

Engler said that's perfect for her older children, ages 10 to 17, whom she plans to enroll.

She said she wants them to know what to do with a gun if they should come across one - say, in a friend's house.

'This way, they are being taught in a responsible way by responsible adults, who actually care.'

ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS

SPONSOR: The Second Amendment Club, a gun-rights group.

Money for the free training comes from grants from the National Rifle Association and other sponsors and buys ammunition and other materials. Club members donate their time and use of club facilities.

SIGN-UPS: Novice workshops are capped at 15 people. Two or three more workshops for women are planned for this year. For information about those or the upcoming youth workshop, go to www.second amendmentclub.org or call (813) 973-8918.

Source: Second Amendment Club Web site

Reporter Jo-Ann Johnston can be reached at (352) 521-3062 or jfjohnston@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT