Tennessee Woman Uses Past Trauma As Motivation To Empower Other Women Through Gun Ownership
Image Credit: sheshootstraining.com
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
In a glaring example of why a decent amount of women, Liberal and Conservative alike, are in favor of gun ownership, a woman in Williamson County has chosen to transform a childhood of abuse and rape into something positive.
Kristin Benton now instructs other women in how to protect themselves, training them to properly shoot and safely carry a handgun, which is, as Benton jokes “not so easy if you want to wear cute clothes.”
The gun training program, She Shoots, also helps women understand the important role that the 2nd Amendment plays in their own personal safety.
“With my background, I know what it is to feel vulnerable, and to be afraid and to feel like no matter what I do in this moment, as a woman, I cannot outmatch this man,” said Benton. “And I don’t ever want to feel that way ever again. And I don’t want other women feeling that way.”
Julie Tucker, a former student of Benton’s, was afraid of guns as an adult despite growing up in a gun-owning household.
However, this may have had a bit to do with Tucker never having the opportunity to learn how to properly handle firearms herself.
“Mom would pay for lessons for piano or dance, but nothing about guns,” Tucker said.
“I was always very afraid if someone mentioned a gun or brought one in the house,” she continued. “Immediately, I was nauseated. I had a curiosity, but I was still deathly afraid of firearms.”
Then Tucker found out about the work that Benton was doing in Middle Tennessee through She Shoots.
“Kristin started me at baby steps where I need to be because she knew I was afraid. She knew I was scared. And she knew I was taking a big step to even walk into her classroom,” Tucker said about her training. “We went through exercises of how to pull a trigger with a pen, with a pen that you write with.”
Another one of Benton’s students, Cindy Sample, had found herself in very dangerous situations throughout her life.
She hated how those experiences made her feel and simply wanted to feel safe.
“It just built and built,” said Sample. “I found the right gun for me that fit in my tiny little hands, that I could keep a hold of because grip, sights, and trigger, which are your basics, are the main thing for me.”
“I need to learn all that,” she continued, “and I need to learn it from the ground up as I’ve never held a gun before.”
Now both of these women are far more confident in their ability to protect themselves.
“I’m at a place I never dreamed that I would be, to be a gun owner and to feel like I’m a safe gun owner,” Tucker stated.
“There are two things I thought I would never say in my life,” said Sample. “Man, this is a great crawlspace, and mom needs more ammo for her birthday.”
Benton believes that having a female gun instructor to train other women is vital.
“There’s less nervousness and intimidation factor when you’re working with someone like me,” Benton stated. “Female firearms instructors are not very common. And so it’s a real need that I saw that I could help fill.”
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
Amen to that.