Facing fears means confronting the past for Nicole Pacini.
Friday, she unloaded her fears and anxiety as she stepped inside of a gun range.
Saturday she is hosting a permit to carry class.
Richard Robinson from Strong Arm protection will lead the already sold out course.
Pacini is pulling the trigger and attacking her fears. She took the same class she will now host this year.
“I have always been very afraid of guns. The smell of the ammunition and the sound of guns,” Pacini said. “I've been robbed at gun point. I have been in a space where bullets are flying and you have to duck and doge.”
Robinson said he has seen a surge in interest among women.
“About 95 percent of my classes are women,” Robinson said. “A lot of them have children and babies. Some single mothers that want to protect themselves in their homes.”
About one-in-five women report that they own a gun. That is according to a survey by Pew Research. That same report said protection tops the list of reasons why gun owners have a gun and women were more likely than men to cite protection as the only reason.
Robinson said the course, which starts with a class discussion, covers a variety of topics.
The class will cover all of the basic safety principals and laws to safely and responsibly carry a firearm. Everything from handling the gun to firearms safety to knowing what you can and can’t do.
Robinson starts with instruction in the classroom
Then, there is a live exercise where each student shoots rounds at a target. That target is about 15 feet from the student.
“If you have never shot before that is fine. Try it once and if you don't like it you know you don’t like it,” he said.
As Nicole unloads her truths, she hopes to empower other women.
“I want women to feel empowered to take this course and if you do decide to carry know you have a huge responsibility on your shoulders,” she said.