‘Maine Girls with Guns’ Profile: Leanne Weston

Leanne Weston grew up around guns. Her father always had them in the house but, still, she was terrified of them. Then, she shot one and she was hooked! "What a thrill and a rush!" she says.

She came to realize that guns, in-and-of themselves, are not to be feared. She adds, "you need to respect them and handle them properly." Great advice from someone who is, clearly, very at ease around weapons, even in a wedding dress!

At their homemade range in South Paris, Leanne and her husband host "Shoot 'Em Up Sundays" with their family. What a great stress reliever and good way to send the weekend out with a, literal, bang!

Leanne's first gun was the classic carry pistol, a Ruger SR-9, which she received in May. Now, she's looking forward to picking up an AR-15 because she "loves the way they shoot." I'm with ya, Leanne and I love the gunpowder smell after you shoot them, but I digress. (AR, by the way, is short for Armalite, the gun manufacturer, not "assault rifle," although this is the type of gun known as an assault rifle. Confused yet? AR refers to the style introduced by Armalite and can be produced by any manufacturer. Similar to the way we refer to tissues as Kleenex, regardless of who the maker is). Anyway, this is about Leanne, not educating you on the ins and outs of ARs.

Leanne wants to become familiar and comfortable with every firearm her husband has in the house in case she ever has to defend herself or her family. She adds, "I think the most empowering thing a woman can do is learn to defend herself in various ways, and learning how to properly discharge firearms is a 'sure fire' way to do so! It's also just a lot of fun!!"

While shooting clearly runs deep in her veins, it is not her first love. That place is held by her two boys (a third child is on the way) and her husband. She is also a zumba instructor. I should take a class or two. Shooting guns and standing behind a microphone isn't allowing me to keep a very svelte figure!

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