Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range hosts gun safety event for women

Sarah Dorris grew up around guns.

The 24-year-old Otero County woman said that's why she's comfortable handling firearms, though she said she is still worried about leaning back into safety around firearms.

Last month, Dorris was one of dozens of women at the Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range in La Luz. She handled a selection of firearms as part of a training course geared toward women who make shooting a hobby or are interested in learning about guns.

Women on Target is held twice a year and teaches basics in pistol knowledge and gun safety.

"They really made sure we knew all the basics before shooting anything," Dorris said. "We first were in the classroom to learn rules like never, ever, have your finger on the trigger when the gun is loaded."

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Mastering the basics

Dorris, who is now 24 years old, said even though she grew up nearly her life around firearms, she learned things she had not known before. She also had the opportunity to handle guns with optics she never dealt with.

"They had all the guns out on the table, and of course we couldn't touch them until we went through the class," she said. "We were able to deal with guns that had red dots, green dots, silencers and suppressors and I have never had that chance."

The shooting range and the Women on Target event helped re-introduce Dorris to her passion for guns, and out of it, an opportunity for work.

"I intended to get back into this as a hobby," Dorris said. "I had no clue who the ranger director was at the time. When I was chatting with him, I found out they had an opening for a part-time and I applied. I will be at the next Women on Target event whether it's me there to participate or as a volunteer or employee."

She hopes to get the job at the shooting range to teach and learn more about gun safety.

Dorris said this was good knowledge for women who have little to no experience on gun handling. It also allowed her to take home knowledge that she could share with her family.

Chief Range Safety Officer Chelsie Zimmerman said that events like these, that cover basic gun knowledge among women, always have a great turnout. Women had the opportunity to practice with a pistol at the 50-yard range followed by handling various handguns.

"We do classroom instruction in the morning, and basic handgun and safety information," Zimmerman said. "Then they go out to the firing lane."

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Safety first

New Mexico law requires a permit for concealed carry but not open carry, making it one of 38 states that allow unpermitted open carry.

However, in recent months, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has made a push to end gun-carry rights in some public spaces in the Albuquerque area.

While state lawmakers continue the debate, Range Director Mark Douglas said firearm safety is paramount within the community. One of the main purposes of Women on Target is to instill four universal safety rules that applies to all firearms, he said.

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• Handlers must always treat a gun as if it were loaded.

• Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target and ready to shoot.

• Never point your firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy.

• Be sure of your target and what is behind it and on its sides.

Douglas has been the range director since 2019, and feels firearm safety trainings are crucial for community members. In 2020, he proposed Women on Target be held twice a year.

"Most clinics have about 40 participants with ages ranging from nine years old to 87 years old," Douglas said. "We have about 12 instructors who provide firearms for the events."

Douglas said that the instructors also work with the participants, one-on-one following the different steps necessary to safely shoot a firearm, which can be a semi-automatic or a revolver.

For more information on any future events at the shooting range you can visit the Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range Facebook page.

Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter at @Juan36Corr.

This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range hosts gun safety event for women