ROSSFORD — Women are a big part of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s national competition held annually at Camp Perry in Port Clinton.

However, your average person, male or female, likely knows little about handling a firearm for safety purposes, let alone becoming so good at it they can compete nationally.

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New and experienced shooters and their families were invited to stop by the SLIG trailer over the weekend, and up to a couple hundred did.

“Shoot Like A Girl introduces women and their families to the sport, so we’re able to get the ladies in, go over safety, getting them in on target, then they are able to go to the gun bar and find the fit for them, so we can help them with which one is actually a good fit for them,” said SLIG show lead Deb Fincher.

“Then, we have pepper spray demos, and we have a lot of women who have carried pepper spray in their purse for four years and they’ve never, ever deployed pepper spray, so they don’t know what it is going to do when it goes up. So, we’re able to give them that experience.

“Then, we have a children’s talk that we do when parents give us permission, so that we’re able to go over and teach them what the parents hear, and what the kids say when we ask them if their friends bring a firearm, what they are going to do, and give them guidance in that.”

On target 4-of-5 shots

West Toledo resident Laura Cierilowski, now retired, was one of them, shooting a firearm for the first time in her life.

She hit the target four of five times with a 9-millimeter handgun, which she says did not surprise her. She also got her chance to shoot an AR-15, and under the guise of archery instructors, she fired a crossbow. The guns are modified to shoot air.

“I felt pretty steady. I’ve been thinking about wanting to take a class and possibly being able to carry a firearm and go to places and practice,” Cierilowski said. “It was a very good experience. I even did a compound bow.

“I know that it’s important to do that and it’s a fun thing to do. I don’t suppose I put myself into situations, and if I was in a situation, I might be too passive to remember what I’m supposed to do. It was just a good idea.”

Cierilowski is now convinced that she needs to pursue the sport.

“At least I’ll go to the range maybe for some target practice and I’ll probably take a class,” Cierilowski said.

“I’d like to ease myself into that. I’ve been alone by myself (husband deceased) for such a long time that it’s just started crossing my mind.”

Find your club

Some of the female trainers there were ex-military, ex-police, or just grew up around families who like to hunt or compete. Fincher says women should not be afraid to learn how to shoot, whether its for protection, to compete, or to hunt.

“It’s important to go to the range and practice so that you are efficient in it with that muscle memory. You know what you are able to do in any situation,” said Fincher, who hails from Oklahoma.

She says classes are available at multiple sites, through Bass Pro or Cabela’s, or by joining a shooting club.

“They have tons of classes, and they’ll do scenarios, and they have all kinds of levels of classes to go to,” Fincher said. “We travel all over the United States, so what we suggest is look at lady’s shooting groups in your area and find a group that fits you.

“There may be more than one, so you want to try them all out and find your tribe. Those ladies’ groups will accept anyone from a brand-new shooter to competition shooting, so they are always there to support you and help you.”

During the three-day show in Rossford, 65 shooters pre-registered, but the end result was closer to the 180 guests who made a stop at their previous show in Centerville, Ohio.

“I think all day we’ve had a great crowd,” Fincher said. “When we have the experienced ones who go in and they are confident, and they have their head up because they hit the target and it’s just an amazing experience for them to do that.”

Cierilowski added, “I enjoyed it and the people were very kind and helpful. I learned proper placement and holding and the safety issues.”

SLIG Vice President Christa Forrester says at the Centerville stop, the organization got similar testimonials from first time shooters.

“A father and daughter duo stopped by the trailer in Centerville, with the father encouraging the daughter to go through our firearms safety conversation. She spoke with our instructor and was very confident in her answers,” said Forrester.

“She even talked about her best friend, expressing that she would go and share this message with her so they could both stay safe. We’re honored to be able to witness these testimonials.”

SLIG is an events marketing organization and works hand-in-hand with Hunt Like A Girl and Safe LivinG, which is dedicated to “empowering women, men, families and communities to live securely in their homes and neighborhoods utilizing an experience-based introduction to a variety of safety measures.”