Over the summer, I received firearms instruction from Beth with Pretty Loaded. I so enjoy socializing with Beth that I accepted immediately.
Though I have to admit, shooting and being around guns isn’t something I am comfortable with. I grew up in a very dysfunctional family, so I
approached our afternoon of shooting with some trepidation.
Beth was not aware of my “family history”, but she set me right at ease. She was calm and methodical when my better half and I got to the range and was very focused while setting up which made me feel very safe. She asked me questions about my experience with guns. I told her I had very limited experience in actually handling guns, had been shooting once or twice before, and was really just there to hang out and be social.
She invited me over to where they were setting up the guns and showed me the “clips” and the ammo and described the various elements of the guns. She went over a list of safety rules if I were to handle a gun. We went out to set up our targets and I spoke to Beth about my fear of guns, but that I would like to have some comfort being around guns if the need arose. There was no pressure on me or goading me to shoot or the usual “encouragement” to get over my fears etc.
I watched them shoot for a while and I liked how she gave tips to my partner and was very supportive and encouraging. She shared stories of her gun handling training and the self-defense courses she had been taking. She is wonderfully humble in her story telling. It was not delivered with bravado or bragging which made me feel more comfortable and invited in. She started to set me up to shoot, which I was prepared to balk at. She reassured me that the gun I had didn’t have a lot of kick back and that I would be able to handle it. She went over the safety rules again and kept it simple for my increasingly nervous brain. I shot out the clip and went to sit down with some of my adrenaline. They gave me some space and then she set me up with other guns. The last gun was the best and easiest for me to use. I deemed it my favorite and said that if I ever got a gun this would be it.
I left the experience feeling very positive about shooting and told her that she should offer firearms training and handling courses in our area. She is a natural teacher and I would recommend she and Pretty Loaded whole-heartedly to the nervous novice and the experienced gun handler alike.
Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and sign up for the next course, you won’t regret it. – A. from CO
What’s your New Year’s Resolution? How about getting empowered to protect yourself in your moment of truth, your hour of need?
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Beth is the founder of Pretty Loaded. On a mission to install strength, awareness, and confidence, Beth began her journey as an educator and National speaker after a close encounter with a would-be predator. She has trained thousands of people in person, and through her online training and videos around the world. Her safety videos reach millions globally! She is responsible for starting the National Situational Awareness Day and this was approved by the registrar of the National Day Calendar. Beth has been featured on Consumer Reports, Reddit, Yahoo!Finance, Elite Readers, BuzzFeed, ViralNova, and many more networks. Beth loves spending her time reading, playing tennis, cooking, and painting. She is married and has four wonderful girls, a supermicro pig named Clover Smalls, and lives on an organic produce farm and vineyard.