Gun stores, firearm instructors notice number of women buying guns on the rise

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) - New numbers show more women have a gun at home and local gun stores and teachers of firearm classes say they notice the difference.

That study shows, since 2017, the number of women buying guns has been on the rise. Some site social media, but others say now is the time women are taking things into their own hands when it comes to safety.

Boys move over because lately, more girls just wanna have guns!

Mark Whitlock Jr. will tell you. He's the vice president of Mark's Outdoor Sports in Vestavia.

"We have seen an increase probably within the past 4 or 5 months. I do think it's kind of social media based. We do see a lot of women coming in here saying that they saw the things that happened over the past weekend, and stuff like that and they get concerns and we are here to provide that safety net for them," says Whitlock.

Some guns come in cute colors to attract women, but Whitlock says it's all about what you're comfortable carrying.

"Because if you have something that they think will do the job they need but won't be comfortable carrying it, it's not going to do any good if it's sitting at home in their drawer or safe or anything like that," he says.

Mickie Holladay is an NRA Certified Instructor, she's seen more women in her classes.

"Because it's just not safe out there anymore. It's scary quite frankly. I don't want to run around and be all paranoid... It just makes sense," says Holladay.

She teaches people how to use guns, but also has a "Refuse to be a Victim" class which teaches situational awareness.

"There are a lot of women choosing to own a gun. I taught a class Saturday that had two real estate agents in the class. One of them flat told me I'm out by myself on these properties meeting people and I don't feel safe," she says.

Holladay says it boils down to more women wanting to make sure they are safe.

Alabama doesn't require classes to get a gun permit, but her advice: get some training

"It's important. You can't just go take a basic class and then walk out the door and think you're Annie Oakley or whomever. Practice. Know what you're doing. Learn how to be responsible with your gun," she says.

Holladay also teaches the Eddie Eagle Gun Safe Program which is a gun accident prevention program designed to help adults teach children gun safety.

For more information on the programs, you can email Mickie Holladay at ontarget@att.net or connect with her on Facebook here.