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SEARCHPam Karousis, salon owner. In her other life: NRA-certified weapons instructor
“Spending time at the range can be very relaxing — it’s great for stress relief.”
“I currently hold certifications to teach National Rifle Association courses in Pistol, Rifle, Personal Protection, Home Firearm Safety, and ‘Refuse To Be A Victim’ seminars. I’m also a Range Safety Officer,” says Pam Karousis, owner of Nail Designs in Cortland, Ohio.
It all started 10 years ago, when two gang members tried to rob her inside her car in a mall parking lot. “Terrified, I decided to take personal protection classes to avoid such a situation again. I signed up for a ladies firearms class at a local fish and game club and discovered that I loved target shooting! I took the class more than once, and finally the instructors asked me to get certified so I could help them teach,” she recalls.
“Shooting is a lot like any other sport,” says Karousis. “Once you’ve tried it you’re hooked. It’s a skill you can always improve upon. You can strive to improve your own accuracy, or you can enter competitions to compare your skills against others. Spending time at the range can also be very relaxing — it’s great for stress relief.”
Karousis loves teaching others as well: “I enjoy sharing my knowledge with the students, and learning from them also. I think many of the students are surprised to see how what they learn in class can really help them with their skills on the range.
“There are only 42,000 certified NRA Instructors in the U.S., and just 3% of those are women. I’d love to see the number of women instructors increase,” she says.
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