ENTERPRISE ENCORE
High-caliber Instructor
Monica Ferrucci teaches safety to women by
LISA MACKINDER
I
Don’t be an easy target Ferrucci understands that guns aren’t for everyone. And even for those who do choose to have a gun in their toolkit, she says, it should always be the last tool utilized — which is why her “big thing” is providing women in her class with other tools. Refuse To Be a Victim is a three-hour class that helps women make safe choices to reduce their chances of becoming a crime victim. Ferrucci teaches it twice a year at the Paw Paw Conservation Club, as well as to youth groups, college sororities and groups of real estate agents and waitresses who work in downtown Kalamazoo. She charges a nominal fee or finds a local sponsor to cover the cost. Students in the class learn how to more safely go about their day-to-day activities, Ferrucci says, such as shopping at the grocery store. One suggestion: Put your cart behind you rather than in front while waiting in the checkout line. This provides a buffer to prevent access to your body, purse or phone. “I think it’s important for all of us to not be chosen by a predator or assailant,” she Right: Monica Ferrucci trains women in personal safety and how to shoot firearms. Below: Items Ferrucci uses in her firearms training.
Brian Powers
n 2006, when Monica Ferrucci’s 10-yearold son joined the Southwest Michigan Gun Club’s Junior Rifle Program, she had no idea that it would lead her to a new career — and passion — instructing women on personal safety. “What I love is helping them feel more confident, more empowered and more safe in their environment,” says Ferrucci, who teaches Refuse To Be a Victim classes, which focus on how a woman can avoid becoming the target of a predator. The gun manager at D&R Sports Center on West Main Street, Ferrucci also offers private instruction to women on how to handle firearms. This career helping women started because her son Joe’s interest in shooting sparked many questions, such as: What’s the studentto-teacher ratio on the range? What kind of instruction does the Junior Rifle Program provide? Ferrucci sought answers. Never one to sit on the sidelines, she says, she became directly involved with her son’s classes and learned how to handle firearms. “I went and sought out NRA training,” she says.
14 | ENCORE OCTOBER 2017