Participants at the Ladies Day at the Range practice shooting .22 rifles on Saturday. The event was conducted by the Van Wert County Outdoorsmen Association.(DHI Media/Erin Cox)

BY ERIN COX



DHI Media Staff Writer



ecox@timesbulletin.com



MIDDLE POINT — Education was the focus on Ladies Day at the Range Saturday hosted by the Van Wert County Outdoorsmen Association.



The organization holds the event to allow ladies 10 and older to have the chance to learn about firearms and how much fun shooting sports can be.



The program started two years ago and according to the Chief Range Safety Officer for the event, Tod Stuckey, the group started the program because of his wife, Judy.



When the couple was in college, Judy did not like guns and did not like the idea of kids being around firearms. After taking her shooting for the first time, Stuckey was not sure he would get her away.



“After the initial fear, I just had a lot of fun,” she said.



Another reason the outdoorsmen group holds the Ladies Day at the Range is for women living in rural areas who may be single or at home alone throughout part of the day and night.



Judy had an experience where she had a man and a woman walking down the driveway to her home, which is in a rural area, talking about how they were going to break in.



“Here I am all by myself with a baby in the middle of the night,” she said. “It was really scary.”



Stuckey wants women to know how to use a firearm if they ever get into a situation where they need to use it.



“There’s a lot of women who have a gun, but they don’t know what to do with it,” he said.



Paula Giessler of Van Wert was one of about 15 participants of all ages on Saturday.



“I’ve never shot a gun before,” she said. “I’m always looking for something new and different to do so I decided to come try this out today.”



The event started off with a review of firearm safety and then an explanation of how to shoot a .22 rifle. The ladies then had the chance to shoot the rifles on the range with instruction from members of the Van Wert Outdoorsmen Association.



They then were instructed on how to shoot a pistol before getting to practice shooting them as well.



Giessler enjoyed learning how to use the firearms and said she was interested in trying it again.



“It was fun. I had a good time,” she said. “I liked shooting the rifle better than the pistol.”



The Ladies Day on the Range is made possible each year by the help of the Friends of the National Rifle Association. The organization applies for a grant to buy firearms and ammunition to give to the Van Wert County Outdoorsmen Association.