As gun sales and concealed carry permit applications from women continue to rise, it’s no surprise gun ranges are hosting events to encourage more women to come out and try a variety of guns to encourage women to test new guns and increase membership.

Bill Hardy, a volunteer with the Summit Range Association near Dillon, Colorado was on hand to host a group of 30 women at the Summit County Shooting Range for their “Women on Target” course this weekend.

Women like Sydney who confidently stepped up to shoot a few higher-caliber rifles for the first time.

“That was a lot of fun!” she said.

“We have a wide range of people from complete novices who have never shot before, to people who have experience maybe with a rifle or a shotgun,” Summit Range Association president Brian Denison said. “It gives them the opportunity to see what the sport of target shooting is like.”

Throughout the course, volunteers taught best practices for handguns, shotguns and rifles, demonstrating proper stance, aiming and follow-through. The class was first offered last summer, with a full house of 25 people, and was brought back again this summer thanks to a $30,000 grant from Friends of the National Rifle Association.

“We are very interested in teaching the shooting sports to a wide variety of people; whoever’s interested,” Denison said. “This is one opportunity.”

“A lot of women buy their first gun as a handgun for self-defense,” volunteer Tom Little said. “But then they say, hey, this is fun, and they’re up here every weekend.”

If you’re in the area and are interested in attending a Women on Target course, you can catch it again on August 13, but don’t wait to sign up.

“We’ve started enrollment, and I think it’s going to fill up fast,” she added.