What do you do if you are really into guns but your spouse is not? The best thing to do is to be respectful and logical. Here I’ve outlined 3 examples with 3 different outcomes:

My husband had been shooting for many, many, many years. During a big part of that time, I was very afraid of guns. He respected my position, and left the guns secured and out of my sight. One day I kept my promise and went to the range with him and was finally going to get it over with. He told me I did not have to, but those of you who know me are aware that I can be very stubborn and once I make my up mind to do it, I do. That’s how I made it up to the top of Mount Borah. He tried to talk me into going out doors to no avail. We went to an indoor range and when I got up to the firing section, and approached the line, there were people shooting on both sides of us. I did not let him know I was crying, but I was terrified. But darn it, I was going to put my big girl pants on and give it my full attention. I wiped my tears and we began my lesson. my husband was very patient with me and five minutes later, I asked are there more bullets? I probably went through 100 rounds or more. Today, I’m an NRA Instructor and we both teach Safety classes, CCW classes, and NRA classes together. I am also the Chapter Leader for the Treasure Valley for “The Well Armed Woman.”

We have a couple, that are good friends. The husband is really into shooting and the wife is not. He talked to her respectfully and logically. He asked her if she would take our class to become familiar with guns, since they were in the house. We gave her a private lesson to enhance her ability to concentrate and feel safe. She learned well and is one of the best students we have ever had – she could compete in USPSA and win. To this day, she has no desire to shoot, but she knows her way around guns and she can handle them safely and proficiently.

My sister goes shooting with us, but her husband has no desire. He does not like to be around guns. He does not hold her back. They have no guns at home, so there is no need for him to learn safe handling. It is nice to see the mutual respect and freedom they allow each other.

So, you can see that communication in the proper way can greatly enhance firearm safety beyond the range. There is no anger or resentment, only support. There are hundreds of couples out there with the same experiences. I hope everyone can communicate as well with their partners as in these examples.

Remember, always follow the rules for safe gun handling every second you are around firearms.

Elaine Bowles
Lead Instructor, NRA Training Counselor
Shadow Dawg Firearms Academy LLC