My dad taught my sister and I how to shoot when we were young, and my husband and I have always had some guns around for protection or for bird hunting, but shooting wasn’t something we did on a regular basis. Around 2012, I found myself in a job where I was frequently alone, so I decided to take a two-day CCW class with training on self-defense shooting that gave me a glimpse into what has now become my passion. Of course, life and my career side-tracked things until I realized I hadn’t practiced shooting for quite a few years. Late in 2020, I went to the gun range to get reacquainted with my pistol and was told about the A Girl & A Gun Grand Junction Chapter that had just formed. After I joined and started going to meetings, practices, and National Conference, my passion for shooting was ignited. I have been competing in IDPA and USPSA since early 2021 and love to encourage other women to get into competitive shooting as a means of practicing self-defense or just for the fun of it!