When Liz Rymill first arrived at Mount Gambier's Gun Club, in the south-east of South Australia, she barely had the courage to get out of the car.

"I turned up to the club here about four years ago, brought in some scones, traded them for a lesson with the club president," Ms Rymill said.

"My heart was going a million miles an hour. It took me a while to get out of the car.

"But once I was out on the range having a shot, I've never really looked back."

Now she represents South Australia in shooting competitions and wants more women to give the sport a go.

"A lot of women are seeing their partner or husband or father or brother shooting, and being encouraged to have a go," she said.

"Once they realise there is no physical limitation in terms of strength or anything like that, it's a very equalising sport.

"Anyone can pick up the gun and do really well with a bit of hand-eye coordination."

A sport the whole family can enjoy

Ms Rymill is one of a growing number of women who are taking up the sport each year.

Statistics from the Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia show that about 10 per cent of its 180,000 members are women, an increase of about 25 per cent since 2014.

South Australian branch president David Handyside said while the sport was still dominated by men, the number of women getting involved was growing each year.

"Often we find that youngsters will come along as part of their scout groups, and parents become involved and realise they can do it too," Mr Handyside said.

"The entire family takes part in the sport and enjoys it, which is relatively rare — there are few other sports where you can do that."

At the Mount Gambier Gun Club, which is believed to be the oldest continuously running club in the world, men and women, young and old, compete together in competitions.

David Handyside says the number of women joining the sport is increasing each year. ( Supplied: David Handyside )

President Andrew Hoare said shooting did not discriminate when it came to gender, age or strength.

"You don't have to be that active. It is more of a mental fitness with this game," he said.

"And just being able to concentrate for very short amounts of time and then relax until your next shot.

"As you can see around here today, we're not all highly fit. There's even some 80-year-old guys shooting here today.

"And as long as their eyesight is good, they still win prizes every so often."

Ms Rymill said sport shooting could be a pursuit for the whole family.

"There is a really social atmosphere around shooting. It's a really family friendly environment," she said.

Rebutting the 'gun nut' stereotype

Despite the friendly environment, swirling discussions of guns and their place in Australia have spread all the way to the south-east.

Mr Hoare said the vast majority of sport shooters strictly followed the rules.

"I suppose you do get the impression that we're all gun nuts," he said.

"Most people who have gone through the rigour of getting a licence, and all the things that come with getting a gun, generally know how easy it is to lose your firearms and lose your sport.

"The ones who get it through the illegal channels, they're the ones who make it difficult for everyone else."

Ms Rymill enjoys the social atmosphere at the gun club. ( ABC News: Thea Halpin )

For Ms Rymill, who was raised on a farm and is now raising her own children on a farm, being familiar with guns is a part of daily life.

"Gun safety was something I had grown up with and it is something I will be instilling in my children," she said.

"All of our guns are highly secure so they [the children] really don't come into contact with them often, but I think it is important to grow up and neither be afraid, nor overly bombastic when it comes to firearms."

She said shooting was about much more than the competition or debate about guns.

"There's also a growing number of women who come out with girlfriends on a Friday night, fire off a few rounds, have a cup of tea and a bit of cake," she said.

"It's a really great way to end the week."