Unquestioned Force

Several years ago I wrote a SHOT Business editorial titled “No Girls Allowed.” The phrase was borrowed from my childhood when boys built treehouses and “forts” from which their sisters were denied entrance. When I began my editorial career in the outdoor space, that attitude was certainly present. Women writers (as well as marketing and public relations professionals) were few and far between. But slowly, they edged open the door—though I do have to admit that sometimes that door had to be kicked in.

This issue we profile six remarkable women who broke down barriers in the shooting sports. (See PG TK.) Writer Carolee Anita Boyles says, “Today, women are an unquestioned force in the firearms industry. They hold corporate positions, excel as competitive shooters, and manage companies without pushback. A generation ago, this was not the case.”

 
Not everyone in our space has gotten the word, though. Unfortunately, I have encountered retailers that are less than accommodating to women shooters and hunters. One issue for retailers is that the purchasing process for women is different from that of men. They tend to ask more questions, which catches less-informed counter folks off guard. Women don’t like to be patronized or belittled, either. A woman hunter I know told me when she once asked a retailer about upland hunting vests for women she was told to try the boy’s aisle. That is no way to create a long-term customer relationship.

But a look around the industry now shows how far we’ve come. You can see this at the annual SHOT Show where many booths are staffed with women in positions of responsibility and authority.

 
As Boyles notes, “Clearly times have changed. But for this generation of women to rise to their potential in the industry, the women before them had to break the glass ceiling. These six women are part of the cohort that pushed forward and would not take ‘no’ for an answer.”
One name on the list—the late Barbara Mellman Skinner—struck a real chord with me. I first encountered her as a young editor at Field & Stream while working on optics article. I needed some technical information, and a colleague with a big Rolodex on his desk pointed me to her. She delivered, and I never forgot her professionalism and her willingness to help a newcomer to our business.