By Kristine Lowder
Monica Cowles is serious about safety, especially women’s safety. Monica operates the Northwest School of Safety and teaches several personal safety courses, including Refuse to be a Victim and Women’s Firearm Safety.
An affiliate instructor with the United States Concealed Carry Association, Monica has been teaching various safety courses since November 2013. “I love meeting new people and getting the word out,” she said at a recent Women’s Firearm Safety Course.
Culture Shift
Monica points to a culture shift as one impetus for starting the Northwest School of Safety. “The culture has shifted,” she says, noting that gun purchases used to be for hunting and putting food on the table. “Now the top reason for buying guns is for personal protection, especially for women.”
Indeed, women are the fastest growing demographic of gun ownership. The certified NRA instructor explains, “Proper training is so vital. There aren’t very many opportunities available for women to get the training they need. I want to be a part of getting this information into as many hands as possible.”
The all-day course is based on the mid-level comprehensive textbook published by the United States Concealed Carry Association. Topics include:
- Developing a Personal & Home Protection Plan
- Self-Defense Firearm Basics
- Self-Defense Shooting Fundamentals
- The Legal Use of Force
- Violent Encounters and Their Aftermath
- Gear & Gadgets
- Basic and Advanced Skills
The course is ladies only. And women are taking note.
“You see a lot more men that have been raised in this culture and they think they know more,” observes Holly, a young mother and student at a recent Women’s Firearm Safety Course. “That’s not always the case.” She says that although her father and grandfather always hunted, she “didn’t take part in anything like that growing up.”
Holly was introduced to guns via skeet shooting. Her boyfriend, an avid hunter and gun collector, bought Holly her first gun, and heavily emphasizes safe gun handling. “More knowledge can only be beneficial,” Holly says of the Women’s Firearm Safety Course.
“It can be a scary thing because it’s a lethal activity. Men are bigger, tougher and stronger. It’s easier to learn from someone who is on the same level.” Holly adds that she’s been accosted twice by belligerents asking for money in a parking lot. “Now when I go places by myself, I take my gun with me.”
“My experience with guns is so stinking limited,” comments Laurie. Her husband shoots and encouraged her to attend the class. In fact, the four women in the recent class were all encouraged to take the course by husbands or boyfriends.
‘A Guy Thing’
Linda says that although her brothers and father hunted, guns “were always a guy thing.” A grandmother, Linda purchased her first handgun after being burglarized about a year ago.
Monica uses a combination of Powerpoint presentations, lecture/dialogue, discussion and hands-on demonstrations and practice to teach ladies the basics of firearm safety. “I want your questions answered,” she says. “I want this to be your class. I want you to walk out of here knowing more than when you walked in.”
Besides firearm basics, the Women’s Firearm Safety Course covers conflict avoidance, situational awareness, the color codes of awareness, action vs. reaction, observing our environment, mental exercises and how a concealed carry permit fits, to name a few. Students apply techniques learned in class with dry-fire exercises using air guns.
The Myth of the ‘Bad Guy’
The course debunks some popular myths, like “the myth of the bad guy.” More than two-thirds of violent crime against women are committed by individuals known by the victim, according to Department of Justice statistics.
“Those are the hardest ones to prepare for,” says Monica. “The victim, if she survives, usually says she saw the warning signs, but ignored them. Don’t ignore the red flags. Pay attention,” she advises, pointing out that the only guaranteed method of surviving a violent encounter is to avoid it in the first place. “Sadly, in today’s world, you have to be on alert. Enjoy life, but take precautions.”
Precautions include mental exercises. “Think it through,” she urges, “What would I do if? If we’ve never thought about the possibility of something like this (a violent encounter) happening to us, our brain is trying to access information that’s not there if it does happen. And we freeze. We want to have the information available so our brain can quickly access and process the data we need to stay safe.”
‘They want an easy target, not one that’s going to fight’
Safety tips include not burying yourself in your electronic device, or walking around with both ear buds in, blissfully oblivious to your surroundings. “Blocking all your senses when you’re out in public is a really bad idea,” says Monica. “They (criminals) want an easy target, not one that’s going to fight.”
She explains situational awareness during the course and keeping an eye out for potential threats. “You’re not paranoid, but your posture, eyes and demeanor all say, ‘I’m alert’ and you walk faster than the crowd.” The use of force must be a last resort. “If someone’s in your face, your safety is the priority. Get away and go some place safe.” She reiterates, “The best way to survive a violent encounter is to avoid it in the first place.”
No Instant Experts
“Nobody’s an instant expert,” Monica continues. Holly echoes the sentiment. She says, “It’s a learning process. Going through this class will make the people around me a lot more comfortable about me carrying. I’m willing to learning from anyone who’s willing to teach me.”
“Informative, interactive and instructional” was how Linda summed up the course. “What I liked most was familiarity with parts of the gun, instructions on usage, safety concerns, and home defense ideas.”
Monica got her start when her family began taking National Rifle Association classes. She soon found that “there was nothing within a two-hour range for training.” She was also “impacted by how unintuitive handling a hand gun safely is. I want to be available for as many women who want the training as possible.”
The Northwest School of Safety can teach you how to be safe and stay that way.
The Women’s Firearm Safety Course is offered twice a month, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Classes are held in Aberdeen from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Bring a sack lunch. The fee is $115 per student. It includes seven full hours of training and the USCCA textbook, Concealed Carry and Home Defense Fundamentals. Graduates receive a personalized certificate suitable for framing.
The course is limited to five students to optimize individual attention. It’s a no-nonsense, heads up class. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed but professional.
You don’t need to own a firearm to take the course.
For more information on Monica’s safety courses, check out Northwest School of Safety or visit her on Facebook. Call 360.532.2132 or 360.580.3686 to sign up. For more questions, email Info@northwestschoolofsafety.com. For a calendar of upcoming classes, click here.
About Monica
Monica Cowles is a Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Instructor and USCCA Affiliate Instructor. She also teaches the award-winning Refuse to Be A Victim course developed by the NRA in 1993. Find out more about Monica here.
