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May 3--Growing up with five brothers who were hunting buffs, Dawn Sheaffer was comfortable around guns from an early age, she said. Two years ago, she and her husband, Craig, moved from Michigan to Soddy-Daisy, where they bought the nearby Montlake Classic Clays Shooting Sports.
"When we started, we had just one woman (customer), and she was only shooting periodically," said Ms. Sheaffer, 41. "Now each week, we have between 10 and 15 women who shoot for sport. Quite a few come with their families."
Nationally, the ranks of female gun enthusiasts are on the rise. With its second-ever woman president at the helm, the 130-year-old National Rifle Association has seen participation in its Women on Target program multiply from 500 in 1999 to 5,600 last year, according to the organization's Web site.
The surge in female gun use also has triggered growth in an industry that now boasts a gender-specific magazine, Women & Guns, which debuted in 1989, and an array of gender-targeted products from apparel to designer pistols.
A social shift has helped drive the female demographic in gun sports, according to Carl Poston, 55, of Sportsman's Indoor Shooting in Chattanooga. "After 9/11, a lot of women recognized that the world is not a safe place," he said.
"Many are single mothers, and they want to protect their families," he said. "A lot of women today are living independently or working late hours. They're taking charge of their lives and learning about self-protection."
Some women are seeking to defend themselves "by going the 'nonlethal' route," according to Mr. Poston. He said that may entail Tasers, Mace or stun guns, but an ever-widening market niche exists for women who want handguns.
"Companies are catering to the trend of greater gun use among women," he said. "Smith & Wesson, for example, has a product line for women, the LadySmiths."
The guns designed for women feature smaller grips and a compact size that fits into a pocketbook, according to Mr. Poston. "Instead of a plain wooden grip, they might have a beautiful rosewood grip and may be sold in a nice leather case," he said.
Looks aside, the custom handguns for women -- typically.38 or.32 caliber -- may weigh only 8 ounces, he said.
Because many female shooting devotees are novices, they might lack the prowess of their male counterparts, according to Ms. Sheaffer. She said that most of Montlake's women customers are over 30 years old.
"That's because of the cost," she said, noting that younger women may not have as much discretionary income.
"If you don't have your own gun or shells, it costs $12.25 to run one line of 25 targets," she said. "But once you shoot one line, you want to do another. It's so addictive."
E-mail Jan Galletta at jgalletta@timesfreepress.com
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