[Karys]

Originally Posted by dgg9

Your life...her irrational discomfort... a hard call, to be sure.

Well, no it isn't. Ultimately her particular neurosis in this regard can't be allowed to have any traction on your life and safety. Work to cure it, certainly, but permit it no vote in your affairs. I am reasonably accommodating to gf's hangups, but not beyond a certain point. Self defense is well beyond that point.

Like anything else, familiarity breeds comfort. In her world, guns are this never-seen, media-demonized apparition, possessed of some inherent evil (it's inarguable she feels this way -- otherwise she wouldn't be uncomfortable with an inanimate object). Once she gets more familiar with them, then a <gasp> ....GUN... becomes a mere gun. The tissue of PC angst dissolves.

You have to find some way to get her to the range, using bribery if necessary. She has to spend time around guns and people who shoot them, to defuse the angst. There's really no other way.

Very well said and I agree 100%.