CHANGE: Women, girls taking up guns, shooting in higher numbers. “Research by the National Sporting Goods Association shows female participation in target shooting grew by 46.5% between 2001 and 2010. And an October 2011 Gallup Poll found 23% of women own a gun.”

UPDATE: Reader Floyd Ferguson writes: “I am an Appleseed Project instructor: we teach a two day fundamentals of rifle marksmanship and American history, and I can tell you that the interest by women this past year has been simply unbelievable. Easily a third to half of our firing lines in Dallas Fort Worth are female. This weekend we are hosting a Ladyseed, for women only, and it has been sold out for weeks. The past year has been simply amazing!”