Most of the time, the gun range is a firearm man cave where woman look really out-of-place. It is not unusual to be the only woman at a shoot match or gun range. Fortunately, that is becoming less and less but when that is the case, it is very possible that you won't be taken seriously. Girls aren't supposed to play with guns. I have discovered a few things that help girls gain a little more respect behind the firing line.

1. Dress for the occasion. You don't have to wear a long-sleeved button up shirt, with baggy jeans, combat boots and baseball cap but you do want to look like your prepared for the activity. You can save the mini skirt and stilettoes for the night club. No one wants to get a shell casing burn on their cleavage either. Having the proper attire insinuates that you are serious about what you came to do which makes people take you more seriously.

2. Have a handgun that fits your frame. It is very important to have the proper fit. Your trigger finger must be able to comfortably reach the trigger without affecting your grip, and you must be able to easily access any other functional buttons or levers on the gun, such as the magazine release and safety. You also want the right caliber. If the handgun is throwing you back 10 feet when you fire it, it is too big.

3. Learn how to handle your handgun. Practice at home. This can payoff big time by making you look and feel much more confident. Know how to load and unload your handgun and magazines, as well as performing basic operations. Locking back slides and using the manual safety shows everyone how self-sufficient you can be and gains a lot of respect even if you may be struggling. Everyone appreciates safe gun handling skills.

4. Don't go in with a chip on your shoulder. Inappropriate jokes and salty language is usually more than most of us would like it to be. Firing back with as good as you've got will probably make you more of "one of the guys," than tears or running to someone to complain. That kind of drama does nothing but show that you are truly a girl. No one is asking you to tolerate illegal or misbehavior but usually by calmly calling someone out face to face gains much more respect from everyone. Most of the time, people make fun of you to take the focus off themselves.

5. Hit the bulls-eye. Put your money where your mouth is. When you can shoot, people tend to shut up. Being a "fantabulous" shooter is not required but there are certain people who are best addressed by showing them that they just got beat by a girl! Use this as your motivation to practice and learn to be the best shooter you can be.

6. Go by yourself. People will see that you are there strictly for yourself. They will see that you are there to better yourself as a shooter and nothing else. You are not there on a date as the helpless girl! You are there because you are a competent gun handler that is going to practice hitting the bulls-eye.