Women practice gun skills, safety

[Highwayman]

Published on Monday, April 10, 2006

Lola Shrimplin
Kansas State Collegian


Brieanna Hartrum brought her .40 caliber Glock handgun, and Donna Baer, volunteer firefighter with the Riley County Fire Department, brought a Colt .45 automatic pistol.

Both attended Women On Target at Fancy Creek Range in Tuttle Creek State Park on Saturday and came prepared to practice shooting and make new friends.

"We're both interested in improving our skills with handguns," Hartrum said.

The pair also were looking forward to playing with the rifles and shotguns, Hartrum said.

Hartrum, Ogden, Kan., resident, is a volunteer firefighter with the Riley County Fire Department and a gate guard at Fort Riley.

She is the second female firefighter in the Junction City Fire Department, she said.

"And the first one to finish the training, nonetheless," she said.

Also attending the shooting day was Patti Essary, Alta Vista, Kan., resident and friend of Hartrum.

Essary said she found out about the event through the newspaper.

She attended in part because her husband is in the National Guard and is interested in guns, she said.

Baer, Randolph, Kan., resident, has used all types of weaponry, she said.

Married 32 years, Baer learned gun safety from her husband, but the safety lessons she learned at the shooting day were a little different, she said.

Baer had several reasons for participating in the recreational shooting day, she said, and one was personal safety.

"I'm by myself a fair amount of the time," she said.

Since the passage of the concealed weapons law, an additional reason for taking the class was to practice to get the permit, Baer said.

"An NRA (National Rifle Association) certified course will be required in the certification process," she said.

Although weapons were provided, Hartrum and Baer preferred to bring their own.

It made more sense to use a weapon for practice that she would use normally, Baer said.

Hartrum said she prefers Glock handguns and felt it was better to practice with a weapon of her own, she said.

"I'm a big fan of the Glock," Hartrum said.

http://kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=9806