Editorial from Women and Guns January 01, 1997
by Julie Gottlieb
Executive Editor
Parting Shot...
A look back: this issue of WOMEN & GUNS marks our eighth
anniversary. Some days that doesn't seem at all possible--and other days
we're convinced it's been much, much longer. For reasons we've never
understood, our February issue, which just happens to be our anniversary
one, is consistently a newsstand bestseller. Here are two from years past.
1992--This was the beginning of our first full year of four-color
issues and availability on the newsstand, which generated a lot of
interest for the magazine and the notion of women gunowners.
Actress Sharon Farrell displays a formidable semi-auto on the
cover and talked about being a pro-gun actress in an interview with
founding editor Sonny Jones.
We tested a Clock .45 and a Remington 11-87 in that issue, gave
readers some tips on stance, and introduced you to the world of practical
shooting.
The callout, "Are You Too Stupid to Read This Magazine?" referred
to a controversial law review article that proposed banning handgun ads
if they were directed at women, because--you guessed it--the authors
thought we'd be just too dumb to understand them!
1993--Another bestselling newsstand issue featured Cynthia Hampton
modeling activewear, and the Colt .380 Mustang on this cover.
Our handgun editor was just Gila May then, but this issue marked
the first of our annual handgun "roundups" by caliber--that year .380's,
which were just beginning to gain credibility as legitimate defensive
rounds. It's a February issue tradition that continues in this issue.
The issue also featured a real-life drama, as a young mother held
a home intruder at bay. We were pleased that year to announce the
formation of the Women's Shooting Sports Foundation, which today is the
recognized leader in developing and promoting women's shooting sports.
We also reviewed a new crop of holsters, designed especially for women,
and attended a class at the American Pistol Institute.
