“A Girl & A Gun” Club at Spring Guns & Ammo Teaches Women How to Protect Themselves and Their Homes

THE WOODLANDS, TX – A Girl & A Gun (AG & AG) is a National Women’s Shooting League where like-minded women gather for firearms training and encouragement; promoting safety, proficiency, and for members who are interested, competitive shooting.

The Spring, Texas Chapter is led by Facilitator Pam Branum at Spring Guns & Ammo, who uses her skills to encourage, educate, and train ladies of all levels in their shooting ability, from beginners to advanced.

The group gathers twice a month, once in the evening at “Girl’s Night Out” and once in the morning at “Breakfast & Bullets”. Members meet for a meal after each class to get to know each other. This trusting friendship creates a nonjudgmental space to ask questions and improve marksmanship.

Contrary to normal visits at the gun range, the certified instructors at AG & AG are allowed to bring their students out on the range floor. The women train in accuracy as well as tactical defense type shooting, which mimics real life scenarios such as home invasion, teaching them how to shoot, move, and communicate with confidence.

“I want to teach my ladies how to protect themselves in the real world,” Branum said. “You're not necessarily going to get that shooting behind a bench.”

Before stepping foot in the range, members attend instructional lessons inside the classroom, where they go over safety protocols each time (Basic Fundamentals of a Handgun), and learn new techniques. They then practice the moves with unloaded firearms first, including but not limited to, shooting at multiple targets, magazine dumps, and use of cover.

There are four primary rules of firearm safety:
- Treat all guns as if they are always loaded
- Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
- Keep trigger finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
- Know the target and what is behind it

Branum noted, “Even if you're an advanced shooter, you can never hear it enough, ‘safety, safety, safety.’”

It’s not just about putting lead downrange. Chapter members became certified in Stop the Bleed to recognize life-threatening bleeding and effectively intervene. Branum also invited a police officer, who taught them how to handle an active shooter event.

“I try to combine it with real life situations so my girls are well rounded,” she continued. “We want women of all ages, all levels, to come and take part. We meet you where you are, and then get you to where you want to be.”

• Follow this link to become a member of A Girl & A Gun Spring, Tx Chapter.
• Owning a handgun is not required, as they can be rented at Spring Guns & Ammo.

Photos taken by Chapter Member Marissa Minor and Woodlands Online Staff.

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