Kendall Jenner, Khloe Kardashian Get Educated, Head to the Gun Range

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information.

Fashion model and TV personality Kendall Jenner wants to get a gun – but not all of her siblings are on board with the idea.
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In a sneak peak of Sunday’s episode of E!’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Jenner is seen talking to her half-sister Khloe Kardashian about her experience with firearms.

“Have you ever shot a gun before?” Yes, she’s been to the range before. 

“Do you know what kind of gun you like?” Not yet.

That’s when the girls’ other sibling, Kim Kardashian-West, walks in.

When Kim hears the two were researching guns, she’s less than thrilled and wants to know why they’d be doing such a thing.

“Kendall and I were talking earlier and she just feels really unsafe,” Khloe explained. “She says she has literally a different stalker outside of her house every few days. She’s a single girl who lives alone, like someone’s already broken into her home, what if she was there?”

Seems like a legitimate reason to want a firearm to us. Unfortunately, Kim disagrees.

“Well, that’s what you have security for,” she fires back.

Klhoe, on the other hand, doesn’t want to leave her safety in someone else’s hands. She also thinks it’s important to know how to properly handle a gun, whether you plan to own one or not. Smart.

In an attempt to make her sister understand, Khloe brings up the incident in Paris last year where Kim was robbed at gunpoint.

“In your situation, say that gun, you were able to get access to it, would you know what to do?” Khloe asked.

Kim’s answer? It doesn’t matter, because she was outnumbered.

“I would not shoot these, it was three against one, or six, you know, or seven, I didn’t know about. There was no way I was gonna get out of there, I’m not like, Laura Croft,” she says.

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Ironically, that’s many firearm owners’ reason – especially females – for owning a gun. It’s the great equalizer, a way to even the odds when you’re outnumbered or outmuscled. You don’t need to be Laura Croft to be able to properly use a firearm to protect yourself. You just need some basic training. Regardless, Kim’s not having it.

“I’m not comfortable with it. I wouldn’t want my kids around it. I wouldn’t want sleepovers going on here, with the kids here and I know there’s a gun,” Kim tells her sister. “I personally don’t feel comfortable with that. I just, I don’t,” she reiterates.

Not that we find ourselves siding with the Kardashians and Jenners often, but we can totally get behind the idea of wanting to take control of your own safety. Sorry Kim, but not everyone has a fully-staffed security team available 24/7 (not that that seemed to make much difference in Paris).

We applaud Kendall’s initiative and hope to see more young women move in this direction, and we applaud the show for showing both sides of the debate. Maybe, just maybe, some of their fans who wouldn’t normally consider picking up a firearm will be encouraged to go out and learn more.

While it’s unfortunate that Kim can’t support her sister’s decision to want to protect herself, her position isn’t exactly surprising. The reality star has been an outspoken advocate for gun control and has worked closely with Everytown.

For National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which was back in June, Kim posted a letter to her personal website pushing for stricter gun laws.

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And following the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October, she shared this tired argument to social media.

Twitter was quick to set her straight.

https://twitter.com/bekkassso/status/915584389077241856

But if being robbed at gunpoint and seeing a member of her own family fearing for their safety can’t change Kim’s mind on guns, we doubt anything will.

You can watch the sisters’ full exchange below.

 

UPDATE: So it looks like the girls’ desire to learn more about firearms wasn’t just talk. When Sunday’s episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” premiered, Khloe and Kendall were seen taking a trip to Taran Tactical Innovations in Southern California.

https://www.facebook.com/TaranTactical/photos/rpp.452208388131237/1712243295461067/?type=3&theater

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If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same place actor Keanu Reeves trained to get ready for his role as ex-hitman John Wick in the eponymous action films. If you haven’t seen the video of him putting in some time at the range, it’s definitely worth a watch. The actor isn’t just good with a gun in the movies.

Khloe and Kendall, like Reeves, worked directly with Taran Butler, the owner of Taran Tactical and a multi-time national and world champion sports shooter. Butler has reportedly trained a number of celebrities, many of whom were preparing for roles in action films.

When Butler asked the girls why they were there and what they hoped to get out of their visit, Khloe said they wanted to be more comfortable around guns and learn how to protect themselves.

In her her solo interview, Khloe added that she wanted to prove to Kim that she and Kendall were serious about getting guns for personal protection.

“I know Kim is so against us getting guns but, for Kendall and I, it’s something we feel that we need to do to sleep better at night,” she tells the camera. “And I think Kim will feel better when she sees later how much work and effort and responsibility we put into this.”

Before he let’s the girls touch any guns, Butler goes over some basic safety lessons, including the common misconception that a gun isn’t loaded or can’t fire if the magazine has been removed. Always check for a round in the chamber, he tells them.

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However, Butler apparently didn’t go over proper attire for a shooting range. While Khloe is dressed appropriately in long pants and a long sleeved t-shirt with a high neck, Kendall is seen wearing a tiny tank top that exposes her arms, shoulders and stomach. While she does have an open button-down thrown over the top to cover her arms, the shirt is loose-fitting and the perfect place to catch expelled casings. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like she got burned…this time.

After going over the basics, Butler lets the girls practice their grip and stance. When Khloe picks up the gun, it’s clear she’s confident and comfortable handling a firearm. Kendall, on the other hand, was more than a bit timid. When Khloe began firing, Kendall is seen hiding behind a wall, flinching as each round goes off.

“I can’t believe Khloe, like, jumps into this and is so comfortable,” Kendall tells the camera. “I’ve obviously been to a shooting range before, but it’s literally scaring me so bad, I’m hiding behind the wall.”

While not shown in the clip, Kendall does get over her fears and picks up a gun – and according to Butler, is a pretty decent shot.

In the end, Khloe says she feels much better after going to the range.

“I’m super happy Kendall and I went to the gun range,” Khloe tells the camera. “I feel truly educated on holding a gun, how to load a gun. I’m proud that we did that.”

Unfortunately, the sisters’ desire to get firearms didn’t last long.

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Towards the end of the episode, Khloe reveals that she and Kendall hopped on a conference call with gun control group Everytown, which, as mentioned earlier, Kim works closely with.

The meeting, unsurprisingly, scared both girls out of purchasing a gun of their own.

“They said they’re all for the Second Amendment. They’re not against people owning guns,” Khloe says while sitting down with Kendall and Kim. The group’s actions say otherwise.

“They also told us the risks in having a gun,” she adds.

The episode then flashes back to the call in which Everytown’s deputy communications director, Taylor Maxwell, starts listing off a bunch of statistics about gun violence in America.

“Having a gun in the home makes it five times more likely that a woman will be killed, even when that’s her own gun. Nearly 500 children 17 and under die by suicide with a gun every year, and access to unsecured firearms in the home is a big part of that,” she says.

What Maxwell fails to mention is that these risks can be significantly reduced if the gun owner is responsible, takes the necessary precautions when minors are in the home, and knows how to properly use the firearm, especially in high stress situations.

“It was just a lot of numbers and scary and a little, you know, overwhelming and dark to think about,” Khloe tells Kim.

In the end, the two decided having guns in their homes wasn’t the best option.

“Mass shooting after mass shooting after mass shooting is happening, and it’s so terrifying and it’s so depressing, and I think the answer is not to add more guns into the world,” Khloe concludes.

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At the news, a satisfactory smile spreads across Kim’s face, who reminds her sisters to rely on their armed, professional security teams. We, however, are not smiling.

It’s disheartening that both Khloe and Kendall decided against owning a firearm after their call with Everytown. Perhaps if they did a little more research – on their own, rather than being fed statistics by an anti-gun group – they’d see that having a gun in the home in a responsible manner, and the comforting feeling you get knowing you have a way to protect yourself if a threat arises, much outweighs the “risks” Everytown speaks of.

Will we start to see more celebrities at least putting in some time with an instructor at the range before calling foul on all things Second Amendment?

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