Michelle Cline didn’t spend time around guns until she started tagging along on her boyfriend’s hunting trips. When they stopped to camp, they would stick a paper plate in a tree and take target practice.
Turned out she was a natural.
Eighteen years later, they still shoot together — and several months ago, she completed a course that helped her qualify for a concealed-carry permit.
Now Cline, a 39-year-old mother of two who works part time selling trucks in Weld County, carries a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver almost everywhere she goes.
“I’m trying to form a habit because you just hear about all these crazy people anymore,” Cline said. “I have the kids with me when I’m not at work, and the thought of something happening and having no control over the situation just terrifies me.
“If I have the opportunity to save myself or my children and a gun gives me that opportunity, I’ll definitely take it. Not to say that I’d be able to do something that would change the outcome, but it makes me feel better that a gun might give me the upper hand.”
Her training included extensive work not only on laws and safety but also on shooting proficiency — in contrast to some courses that involve only classroom work. Through timed simulations on the range, she gained confidence in her ability to effectively draw and fire a concealed weapon.
“And I’d never done anything like that,” she said. “I’d never thought about being in that position where you’d have to draw a gun and shoot before they shoot you.”
— Kevin Simpson
