NEW ORLEANS—
Weekdays, you'll find Cheri Barnes at her lakefront office in Gentilly. That is, if she's not working with the Jaycees or the Junior League. And every now and then, this young professional sneaks in a manicure or pedicure."I love a spa day," says Barnes from her desk.
But on many weekends, Barnes goes through a transformation. Gone is the business suit -- replaced by cammo hunting gear and a .270 Remington. For Barnes, it isn't just about the chase. " The best part of hunting is sometimes just getting to see the wildlife, the quiet time."
Barnes may not fit the stereotype so often depicted on the web and in other media sources of women and guns. Too often, the pairing of the words results in a series of bikini-clad women with assault rifles and ammunition belts strapped across their bodies. But just as many reports show an increase in the number of women owning guns, there's a push to change the stereotype. One example is a new book by Lindsay McCrum called "Chicks with Guns."
Now, after the shootings that began Halloween night and trailed into the following morning, Barnes is ready to get another gun -- this one, for protection. "I really think more (women) are thinking about it. I think the fear comes from not being educated. But there's so many classes out there that they can take."
In Thibodaux, Annette Aysen knows all about helping women overcome fears of firearms. She's an international revolver champion and an instructor with a program called Babes With Bullets.
"Young women in their teens. We had some ladies that were in their 70s and 80s coming out," says Aysen of her growing groups of students. "When it clicks, it's just, like, they're just as excited as I was at that time. It's amazing, some of them are in tears. It's awesome; it really is," she says of seeing her students succeed in learning proper firearms grip, stance, and firing techniques.
Perhaps nobody in the New Orleans area helps shatter stereotypes of female gun owners like Marie Galatas. Galatas feels strongly about the right to own a gun and even participated in an NRA video to help make the point. Galatas proves that female gun owners come from all walks of life because she believes in her bible just as much as her pistol.
"I'm a minister. I have my bible. But I also have my gun, and I will lay you down if you come at me. And then if you don't die right away, I'll get down there and pray for you for salvation," she told WGNO News from her Uptown home.
For more information on the Babes With Bullets program or the book "Chicks with Guns," check the Links Mentioned section of this website.
