Karen Ottenbreit

I was born and grew up in the city Chicago but found my real home in Alaska. Around 2011, to take a break from building our home, my husband and I went to our local range as a kind of “ date night”. Something clicked. Or perhaps ignited? I was hooked. I took classes, and struggled with learning about gear, the difference of various firearms and how to effectively handle them as a woman. Women are not shaped the same as men and nor have the same hand strength and size. It was challenging and frustrating! I eventually figured things out and began participating in shooting sports. Although I do not consider myself competitive with others, I find it to be very effective in keeping many fire arms skills fresh. The world seemed to become a scarier place. Although, I could shoot… I realized it wasn’t enough. Sport shooting does not quite translate to real life. There are many other factors, women especially, need to not only be aware of, but actively practice, to make sure they are best prepared to protect themselves and loved ones .