Today we’d like to introduce you to Judi Wells.
Judi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
This story is about a topic that I thought I would NEVER write about – firearms- and yet, here we are! About five years ago, my husband told me that he would like to have a gun in our home and learn how to use it. I was a staunch anti-gunner, had never seen or touched a gun, and did NOT want one near me, least of all in our home. We had many, many discussions over many months. In the end, because he really was interested and wanted to learn, I relented. We went to the range together and I HATED it! I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to be around firearms! I took lessons, tried to learn the safety rules, and TRIED to understand what was “fun” about this hobby. I was visibly upset after most of my lessons.
One day my instructor, Kyle Dau at Discount Gun Mart, brought me the Winchester Qualification Program. This is an NRA program that challenges you to improve your skills incrementally and you can earn pins and certificates. Well, that was it, I was hooked. All I needed was a challenge instead of just throwing lead downrange! Until then, I had only shot with men and with a male instructor, but I really wanted to shoot with women my age and see what issues they were dealing with such as vision, fear, etc. I started a little club called “Girlz and Gunz”, and I went in search of a female instructor.
I found a woman, LeAnne Farmer, who was the facilitator of a group, “A Girl & A Gun” (AG & AG). I wouldn’t participate with the group for a long time, and only did private lessons with her. FINALLY, I was brave enough… and started to learn how to shoot and move and work with my firearm outdoors. I began shooting more and more with different groups and learning different skills and methodologies to shooting.
Later that year, I started competing, and I went to AG & AG National Conference. Over 400 women from all over the country, all skill levels, come to this conference to learn. We have classes where we learn how to shoot for competition, sport, self-defense… and you can even shoot from a helicopter! The AG & AG Leadership Team asked me to start a chapter in San Diego, and the rest is history.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The shooting part: It has been an exciting road, and I would say most of my struggles come from starting this sport at a, shall we say, “more mature” age. Issues such as vision, mobility, balance, muscular strength… even fast twitch vs slow twitch muscles come into play when you are shooting a match. Young people can focus on their front sight (the part of the gun you need to focus when aiming at a target) really quickly and then explosively take off for the next target array. In trap, you have to focus on the clay quickly. I train often and try and keep up, but hey, we all have our limits.
Forming a Group: This wasn’t a struggle! You would be shocked at the number of women who shoot or want to learn to shoot in San Diego, A Girl & A Gun offers so much for so many women; there is something for everyone, no matter what part of the sport you want to learn, or the level of your skill.
A Girl & A Gun~San Diego Chapter – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
A Girl & A Gun San Diego is a local chapter that is part of a National Organization, A Girl & A Gun. While our mission is to educate women on safe and accurate shooting, our organization is about so much more than shooting! It’s about empowerment, support, friendships, fun, self-reliance, and camaraderie. Everyday, we witness the transformation of women who set out to learn how to shoot, and in the process, discover a confidence in themselves that improves all areas of their lives.
We have a very active membership of 90+ who attend one of the three meetings that we hold every month. Our “Brilliance in the Basics” meeting is for all first-time guests, kind of a meet and greet. When you pass our New Shooter Protocol, you can attend any event that we hold. We do this for safety reasons and because our more advanced members have requested a meeting to do more advanced drills. Many of our members participate in Trap, Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Competitions. Our teams are sponsored and we have amazing jerseys that we rock at all our competitions! We have extra events often such as CPR classes, special clinics and special presentations by local and national competitors and leaders in the industry. We have upcoming classes that will emphasize shooting and moving, fixing stoppages and malfunctions, situational awareness… you name it, we’re doing it. We just had US LawShield present “Active Shooter: Getting Out Alive,” and we had over 55 people show up!
I am the facilitator of the San Diego Chapter, and I have two Co-Instructors, Kathy Smith and Barbara Starr, who help at all events. We have a leadership team of ten AMAZING women.. I couldn’t do it without all of these women who step up and make the magic happen. We have Range Safety Officers at every live fire event… our own members who have taken the NRA Certified Range Safety Officer training and been certified.
What sets us apart from others: Okay, don’t laugh, but there are several things that are really special about this group. First, we are known in the area as #safetysnobs. Most gun owners practice impeccable safety, but we go above and beyond with all of our safety measures. We even have a Health and Safety Coordinator on the leadership team (who is a full-time nurse!). Second, even with all the different personalities involved, we have managed to keep a fantastic vibe without any issues. The camaraderie is amazing. Whenever we go places as a group, we get comments about how supportive we are for each other and how we help each other succeed- and how much fun we have!. It’s really unique. Third, we really do listen to our members and provide what they want in their training. Sometimes it’s difficult because of the wide variation in skill level, but we do our best.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
SO MANY PROUD MOMENTS!!! There isn’t any way to pick just one. One day a woman might be terrified to shoot and leave with a big smile on her face because she has the confidence just to pick up a firearm and fire it… it’s such a moment! Or watching 18 of our members compete on the trap field and crush clays when they JUST learned how to shoot a shotgun… so proud!! Or watching the older members mentoring the new members… or 23 Range Safety Officers in the same chapter… or what about taking our first team to compete in a steel match and all of them completed the competition and rocked it! Or watching my girls shoot from a helicopter at National Conference!!! How could I ever pick one?
I’m so proud that this group of women has come together to create a safe, non-judgmental shooting community that prides itself on attitude, safety and kindness. It’s just wonderful to watch. Our chapter motto is “A Rising Tide Lifts All Ships”. We live by it.
Pricing:
- $50.00 a year to join A Girl & A Gun. https://www.agirlandagun.org/cat/ca-san-diego/
- Meetings are $5.00 a meeting for members, and $10.00 for non-members
Contact Info:
- Address: Our three main meetings are held at:
Discount Gun Mart
1510 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110 - Website: https://www.agirlandagun.org
- Phone: 619.629.3344
- Email: For membershp info: tinawhite.agagsd@gmail.com
- Instagram: @agagsandiego
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AGAGSanDiegoCA/
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