Some girls just want to have guns
Cheryl Arnol reflects on decades spent competing in a traditionally maledominated sport
‘FEMALE sport is finally getting some of the recognition it has long deserved across a spectrum of sports.”
Wise words from the Speaker of the House of Assembly Elise Archer in her Talking Point last Friday.
It is fantastic that Ms Archer is working to encourage emerging team sports that have been traditionally male dominated, specifically AFL football and rugby union, but it would be even better if she would recognise those sports that have been around for a very long time and are not only male-dominated but use equipment that is generally associated with males. That’s the stuff that glass ceilings are made of.
I have been a competition clay target shooter and shooting administrator for more than 40 years and you really can’t get a more male dominated sport than that unless of course you take up pistol or rifle shooting.
Our sporting equipment is firearms and ammunition and therein lies the problem to get recognition of our sport or the participation of females in it.
Too many people think that firearms are dangerous; probably brought on by the negative press firearms receive.
There is hardly ever a good news story on firearms. Even when Australia wins a gold medal in shooting on the biggest sporting stage we struggle to get one line in the print media and even less in the electronic media.
It is past time that Tasmania recognised that firearms are just another piece of sporting equipment and that women do use them. Unlike female versions of the male-dominated sports like those referred to by Ms Archer, there are very few clay target shooting competitions specifically for women so you compete in open competition or you don’t compete at all.
Each state title has a ladies’ winner and there are specific national titles but in everyday club competition it is rare to have events just for ladies or even just a specific ladies’ trophy.
Why is that? Quite often on the clay target range I am the only female competitor. It is rare at a club shoot to have more than two or three females competing in a field of 25 or more male shooters. Do we need ladies’ trophies? Probably not.
If taught the art of shotgun shooting at a young age it is a very level playing field for both males and females. It’s all about eye-hand co-ordination and females can be extremely competitive.
I am not a pistol or rifle shooter but I suspect it is much the same in those disciplines. There’s probably about the same ratio of women to men shooting. I have no doubt there are women who can compete at any level with their male pistol or rifle shooting counterparts.
Too many times I hear politicians and police officers say that women in the home and general community are frightened of firearms.
I am sure there are some women who have had dreadful experiences with firearms in a domestic violence situation but I wonder just how many of them would be as scared of firearms as portrayed by the powers-that-be if they had the opportunity to take up a competition sport and learn the art of using a firearm.
What about this myth that the “general community” wants safer storage and wants to feel safer from firearms?
There is probably little doubt that members of the community want to feel safer from the criminal element who use firearms but does the fact that I own a firearm worry the general community? Probably not! Take the young man at my optometrist who was quite taken with the idea of “a lady who shoots” when I told him why I needed so many pairs of glasses.
What about the reaction of the older couple who when my husband told them that we both shoot competition clay targets said that they thought that it was wonderful that we could do that together?
We generally compete in a male dominated sport, not a female version of it.
In day-to-day clay target
There is hardly ever a good news story on firearms. Even when Australia wins a gold medal in shooting on the biggest sporting stage we struggle to get one line in the print media and even less in the electronic media.
competition it is side-by-side on the range with our male members. There’s no special teams on a weekly basis for lady shooters!
So Ms Archer, I have a Tshirt that says “Shoot like a girl ... if you can”. How true is that? I reckon its fairly on the mark. My small badge in the shape of a clay target says “Girls with Guns Have More Fun" so come to the range with me and try clay target shooting.
You just might end up convincing your parliamentary colleagues that owning a firearm is not always a criminal activity and you would support some really fantastic ladies who just happen to like firearms and who do compete in a truly male-dominated sport.