5 Dogs Range has been around for many years. Members can shoot anything from a high power rifle to archery.
However, there’s one group in particular that practices at this range, that’s a little more exclusive.
“We want women to be armed and be able to protect themselves,” Naomi Moss, a leader of The Well Armed Woman, South Valley Chapter, said.
The Well Armed Woman is a nationwide organization that provides resources for women learning how to handle a gun.
“We have women in all stages of life. We have young mothers, retired women, groups of friends, and everyone is out here for the same reason,” Fletcher Perez, another leader of the South Valley Chapter, said.
The Well Armed Woman has 372 chapters across the country, including two in Kern County. There’s one in Bakersfield, called the South Valley Chapter, as well as one in Tehachapi.
“Fortunately, here in Kern County, we’re pretty blessed with a great second amendment community,” Moss said.
According to Pew Research Center, about one in five women report that they own a gun – a statistic that’s not surprising to the leaders of the South Valley Chapter.
“I see more women interested in our group, I see more women in gun stores. The Well Armed Woman is really filling what used to be a void for women, and it created this group of you know, a comfortable place for women to come together and learn,” Perez said.
“I think at times people think of a women’s shooting club as similar to like a knitting club or any other craft group or something like that, and what I find is that the women who come are serious about what they want to do, ” Moss said.
“So it’s not all pink and purple guns, and oh, ‘let’s go watch the little ladies shoot,’ they’re serious about their protection.”
Leaders say they invite women with all levels of experience to come out and see what their chapter is about.
