Free Firearms Training for Females in Florida Flourishes

Chalk this one up as a barometer of how women feel about firearms.

The group Her Rights, which supports a woman’s right to bear arms and defend her family, had 20 spots available for their free firearms training for women next month. The 2-hour class, which takes place at the Guns & Range Training Center in West Palm Beach, teaches women how to handle and shoot a gun.

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So how many women signed up to lay claim on those 20 open spots?

900.

The group’s founder, Barkha Herman, says being trained to handle a gun doesn’t have to be about owning or even carrying a gun. “In my opinion, I think that even if you don’t want to go out and and go shooting at the range, you should know how to safely handle a gun, especially if you have a gun in the house,” explained Herman.

HerRights would like to expand their reach into every county in Florida and is looking for gun ranges to donate space for their classes. Bartha notes that especially in South Florida where there are a lot of guns, many families and men especially have guns in the home, but finds women don’t handle or shoot them.

“At a minimum, they should learn firearm safety, even if they don’t shoot,” she told me. “I’m not looking to have a monopoly or anything and I think the more organizations involved, the better. I just want women to learn how to safely handle firearms and that’s what HerRights is doing, and doing well.”

In addition to advocating gun rights and providing free firearms training, the Florida group also supports school choice and free market education. Barkah Herman was born and raised in Mumbai, India and immigrated to the United States at the age of 21. She’s been a life long libertarian, having read Ayn Rand at the age of 16, transitioning from objectivism to classical liberal ideas over time and her history is as impressive as it is long.

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One testimonial on the Her Rights website sets women straight. “I strongly believe owning a gun is the right of every American citizen, man or woman. I also secretly thought I might not be able to control a gun, being small as I am. I’m glad to say I was sorely mistaken. The gun I felt most in control of firing was an assault rifle larger than my torso, and shotguns don’t actually kick back enough to throw tiny people like me across the room as Hollywood would have you believe. Anyone can work a gun, and in my opinion, everyone should. It is an equalizer, blind to gender and especially blind to size and strength. Learn to use one, and there is no correlation between ‘small’ and ‘weak’.” –Laal

Another testimonial reads, “Before attending the gun safety class I had no clue how to handle a gun. Due to my lack of knowledge it left me with a sense of fear handling them. I would’ve never thought I could pick up a gun, let alone actually shoot it. Thanks to this class I learned the 4 rules to gun safety. This class has instilled confidence in me and I am no longer afraid of guns. I think gun safety is a powerful tool to learn and that all woman should posses. I want to thank Barkha for the opportunity to take this class and look forward to any other classes.” – Cara

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Looks like the only thing this group needs is more classes to accommodate the women of Florida.

(HINT: they will gladly accept donations in order to be able to do so)

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