How do you get your wife to practice more?

[KBintheSLC]

Why would anyone really want to go do something they didn't enjoy unless they saw it as truly necessary? It sounds like she doesn't enjoy it. You think its necessary. She doesn't. You're not going to get beyond that impass on your own.

Well... thats the problem dude. She DOES view carrying a gun as a necessity. She DOES NOT however, view practicing with said gun as a necessity. Do you see how this can lead to me being concerned? I'm not trying to force anything down her throat. Honestly, I might feel better if she just ditched the gun and started carrying a can of mace or a Taser.

All I do is tell her I'm going to spend some time at the range tomorrow. Want to spend some time with me and come along? When she says no, I go alone. When she says yes, she comes. Sometimes she shoots, most times she doesn't. The last thing I do is pressure her over it.

Thats exactly how I approach her. However, I only offer once every 3-4 times I go because I know she doesn't want to go each week.

 

[KBintheSLC]

Thanks for everyones great ideas. I think that a female instructor/training course would be a big help. I also think she may need to wear a wrist brace for extended sessions for her carpel tunnel. As far as the motivation to practice is concerned, I think I may just need to leave her to her own senses on this one. She's pretty head-strong (like me), so it never works to hound her to do anything. I just keep forwarding her links to news articles of successes and failures in this respect. I think she does take them seriously, so I believe that her mindset is headed in the right direction.
I think it just boils down to the fact that she likes carrying a gun for self defense, but she doesn't enjoy shooting as a hobby like I do.
If I can just get her to dump 50 rounds downrange once per month, I would feel so much better. But I don't think its up to me... or even about me. So, maybe I need to just let it go.

 

[david_the_greek]

get some subsonic rounds that will recoil less (or whatever less powerful round you can find, that will of course cycle reliable), or just bring the .22, and of course make it about the 2 of you spending time together. I think any one of any sex could appreciate their spouse wanting to spend time with them, especially since you obviously care enough to want her to be safe and defend herself. My GF doesn't want me leaving the house without my gun, I think I found a keeper : ) (still working on the funds to pick her out something!)

 

[KBintheSLC]

Well, in light of some of the criticism I received for my jokes on this post, I decided to present them to my wife... as a joke. Surprisingly, she loved the idea of a reward system. She said that it would help to tie shooting practice to something she is "in to". So this is what we came up with...

She agreed to shoot 100 rounds of 9mm, and 100 rounds of .22 at the range once per month. In return, every second month she gets to buy herself a toy of her choosing.

Furthermore, I promised her that if she can get 20% of the rounds to fall in the 10-ring, she gets a foot massage that night.

We also went and got her a wrist brace to help with the carpel tunnel. She specifically said that it was not the gun or the recoil that bothered her. She just doesn't love shooting like I do... and I'm okay with that. As long as she is making a minimal effort to keep herself safe while carrying.

So, we'll see if this works in the long run, but for now my critics should be silenced. The response I received from her last night was very positive... unlike some of the criticism I got here for supposedly acting like a pig.

I guess not all women are man-hating, lib-loving, abortion rights activists from Berkley. Some girls are still happily old-fashioned girly-girls. Thank the lord.

 

[expvideo]

let her be. If she doesn't want to practice very often, that's fine. I prefer to practice, so I do. My father doesn't, so he doesn't do it very often. It think that's fine. The important thing is that we both carry and know how to use our guns effectively. As long as she can handle herself and the gun, it doesn't matter if you are more proficient.