WATCH: Sisters-in-arms share love for shooting this Women’s Month

With a build and cheekbones that wouldn’t be out of place on a catwalk, Antoinette Brighton might not be who one would expect to run into at a shooting range. But gun in hand, eyes fixed on the target – she is in her element.

One of a growing number of women warming to the idea of learning how to use a gun, Brighton’s interest in shooting was sparked after she got a job at a local firearm dealer.

As a domestic abuse survivor, she says owning a gun has helped her feel safer.

Brighton is part of Gun Owners South Africa’s (GOSA’s) ‘Girls on Fire’ campaign, started by Lynette Oxley back in 2015 during 16 Days for no Violence against Women and Children.

“GOSA was in parliament, at one of the Portfolio Committee on Police’s meetings, and there was a comment made that shooting was only for old white men – which it’s definitely not,” said Oxley yesterday.

Girls on Fire was all about empowering women, she explained.

“Women are quite capable of defending themselves. And it’s very interesting to see just how empowering learning to handle a firearm can be,” Oxley went on.

Anika Rossle shoots at the Girls on Fire club shooting as part of a campaign for women’s month around women empowering themselves and using firearms, Florida, 20 August 2020. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

Her own eyes began to well up as she recalled how one woman burst into tears the first time she hit the target.

She said there were misconceptions about gun ownership,

“People think carrying a firearm makes you more aggressive but that’s not the case. Knowing you have a firearm – and how serious the consequences of using it are – actually has the opposite effect.”

Using one’s firearm was only ever a last resort, Oxley said,

“I always tell ladies to be aware of their surroundings and try to avoid dangerous situations altogether.”

But she also said while most women became involved in shooting as a means of self-defence, many of them quickly fell in love with the sport.

“It’s a lot of fun and it becomes quite addictive,” she said.

Lynette Oxley poses for a picture at the Girls on Fire club shooting as part of a campaign for women’s month around women empowering themselves and using firearms, Florida, 20 August 2020. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

This Women’s Month, Girls on Fire wants to spread the message that shooting is for women from all walks of life, under the theme ‘I am every Woman’.

“We’ve got girls from about 11 years old to ladies in their 70s and 80s,” Oxley said. “You don’t have to be young or fit and it doesn’t matter what race you are or what your economic status is. Every woman is capable of defending herself.”

Anika Rossle agrees.

Having grown up around firearms – and marrying an enthusiast – the range is Rossle’s home away from home.

She said carrying a firearm makes her feel more confident about driving at night.

“I hope I never do but I know if I get into a situation where I need to defend myself, I can.”

Moreover, though, she said shooting was a fun and healthy sport.

“And you’ll never find a nicer group of people than at the range,” she added.

To women who might be wary of handling firearms, Rossle suggests researching and speaking to female gun owners.

“And then going to a shooting range,” she said. “It’s really the only way you’re going to feel better around a firearm and see the fun side of shooting.”

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