Local Woman is a Mom, State Worker and NRA Firearms Instructor…Loves to See Women Shoot for the First Time!

Donna Lohse is from the Augusta area. Six years ago, she had never shot a gun. Today, she not only shoots but she is certified by the NRA as an instructor, meaning she can teach the course Maine requires to get a concealed carry permit. Plus, she operates 2 chapters (Augusta and Bangor) of The Well Armed Woman, a national gun organization.

Here's a great story first published on my site, American Women who Bear Arms. This actually occurred in central Maine this past weekend. Now, Donna in her own words.

I taught a pistol class yesterday at the church for 13 people. It was a bit crazy but went great. I love getting these ladies to go from terrified to giggling. :-)

There was this one girl who I brought up during class to hold an empty revolver. She had never touched a firearm before. She was shaking so badly she almost could not hold it. I had to take it from her and have her just breathe for a minute and then I gave it back to her. She had actual tears she was so afraid. We talked through it together and by the end she was holding it much better. I had no idea how she was going to get through range time with live fire.

We got to the range and I kept her focused on me and simple steps. We walked through every step without live rounds. Once I felt she was doing okay, I loaded one round. When she finally fired her first live shot, I saw the relief on her face.

She missed the entire board and was disappointed, which I knew was a good thing because that meant inside she wanted to do it again to hit her target. We did a few more rounds with the revolver and she never hit the board. I had her take a break and I moved on to other students.

I came back around to her and went through the entire dry fire process with my M&P. She seemed more afraid because, in her mind, this was a bigger gun. I loaded the first round and had her do each step slowly and stay focused on only the step she was on. When it came time to fire, she not only hit the board, but she hit her plate almost dead center! And guess what she did? She began giggling and had the biggest smile on her face. It was amazing!

Donna Lohse (FACEBOOK PAGE) operates two chapters of The Well Armed Woman in Bangor and Augusta.