Free Ladies Shooting Event · 15th annual · Taylor, Michigan
Your own patient coach, one on one at the range. The pistol, the ammo, the ear and eye protection: all provided, all free. No experience needed.
2,454 women came on July 25 and 26, 2026.
Featured on Fox & Friends. Covered by NRA Women, The Outdoor Wire, and BridgeDetroit.
15 years
running, every summer since 2012
14,000+
women trained, completely free
2,454
women attended last year alone
1 on 1
your own instructor, at your pace
Why this event exists
In 2012, Detroit firearms instructor Rick Ector read about a woman attacked and left for dead on a Detroit street. His answer was to teach women to defend themselves, and to charge them nothing.
Fifteen summers later, more than 14,000 women have taken the lesson. In July 2026, 2,454 women came through Recoil Firearms in a single weekend, the biggest turnout the event has had. Volunteer instructors travel from across the country to coach, one woman at a time.
Grandmothers and college students. Nurses, veterans, and women who had never touched a gun before that morning. Every summer they line up around the building, and every summer they walk out standing a little taller.
"From 12 to 112 years old, they are welcome."
How it works
Register for one session and your e-ticket arrives by email. That is all you need to bring.
Every attendee must complete the waivers before getting in line. Signing online takes a few minutes; start with the safety waiver on this page and finish the rest from your confirmation email.
Show your e-ticket at the door a few minutes before your session. With your waiver already done, you are in. Sessions start on time; arrive after yours begins and you will be moved to the next session with open spots.
A welcoming briefing that covers the essentials before you ever touch a firearm. Between waivers, the classroom, and the range safety briefing, plan on about an hour and a half here:
You get your own volunteer instructor on the range. They are educators, not drill sergeants, and they go at your pace. Many are women.
One lane, one coach, and the fundamentals, hands on. Your turn depends on the line, so early birds finish fast and later spots mean a bit of a wait in good company.
Most women arrive never having held a pistol. They leave having put 20 rounds through one, safely and confidently. That first target usually goes home as a keepsake.
Every photo on this page is from the real event at Recoil Firearms.
The people behind it
Founder, Legally Armed In Detroit
Firearms instructor, NRA board member, and the reason this event exists. Rick started the free lesson in 2012, and the volunteers who run it today are proud to carry his work forward.
Classroom instructor
Tanisha worked alongside Rick for years. Today she is a certified pistol instructor, teaches the classroom sessions, and is the current NRA Women Woman of the Year. Read her NRA Women feature.
Chief Range Safety Officer
Will is the event's Chief Range Safety Officer. He keeps the range activities running smoothly and safely, and he makes sure registration stays simple, so signing up for your session takes about a minute.
One coach per lane, every session
Certified instructors and range safety officers donate their whole weekend, some driving in from other states, so every woman gets a coach to herself.
"Rick Ector has changed the lives of tens of thousands of women."
July 25 and 26, 2026
2,454 women took the lesson over two days, coached one on one by more than 50 volunteers. Anything the organizers announce next will show up on this page, or leave your email and we'll send it to you.
Recoil Firearms
22509 Ecorse Rd, Taylor, MI 48180
Range time, ammo, a coach on the line, targets, eye and ear protection: doing a lesson like this on your own would run about $75 a seat. Every woman here gets it free. If you can, chip in to help cover the cost and keep it that way.
Chip in to keep it freeWith a special shout out to Metro Detroit News. A Legally Armed In Detroit event, founded by Rick Ector. Hosted by Recoil Firearms, which closes its doors to the public for the whole weekend.
The instructors, range safety officers, and volunteers who give up their whole weekend so every woman shoots free.
Most women walk off the range asking the same thing: what's next? Here is the honest answer.
Your next step
Here is the truth: a lot of students show up to their CPL class having never fired a gun in their life. Do the free lesson first and you will walk in with more trigger time than many of your classmates.
The class itself is one Saturday in the same kind of warm, supportive room. We provide the pistol, and we guide you through every single step, from the classroom to the range to the license paperwork, whatever your skill level. You already did the hard part.
One-on-one coaching, child firearm safety, ladies-only courses, advanced training: hundreds of classes from vetted Michigan instructors, bookable in a couple of taps.
Browse all classesThe event runs on volunteer coaches. Donate a session or the weekend, and if you teach professionally, put your own classes in front of thousands of students on CCW Hub.
Everything powering this page runs on CCW Hub: free registration, session slots, e-tickets, online waivers, and day-of check-in. If your range, club, or organization is planning a community shoot or a free clinic, we will set it up with you.
See what the weekend looked like, and watch this page for whatever comes next.
See the 2026 recordThe crew gives their whole weekend. If you would like to help cover what a weekend like this costs to run, you can chip in too.
