Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda De Bree.
Hi Linda, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We were participants of a weekly ladies shooting group that was not meeting our needs and was not focusing on safety and firearms knowledge, so we formed our own group and called it “Ladies of Caliber.” Four of us became NRA Certified Instructors for pistol, one for rifle, and we became NRA Certified Range Safety Officers. One of our instructors created and teaches a Range Medic class that instructs students how to be the first responder on scene when a tragic accident happens (at the range, a car accident, a workplace accident, etc.) With that, we built a ladies weekly shooting group in Caddo Mills that then grew into a second weekly ladies shooting group in Terrell. Our groups grew so much that we were no longer able to handle teaching all the new students who would show up to our groups each week, so we began offering classes in the community. Many women are fearful of firearms but want to overcome that fear. Some have been to the range with a husband or boyfriend, but were handed a large caliber firearm to shoot and did not enjoy that experience. Our classes focus on teaching firearms and range safety to women in a nurturing and encouraging atmosphere. We take the mystery out of safely handling firearms, and our students are often surprised at how much fun they have shooting once they have completed our classes! It didn’t take long for us to discover that guys wanted to take our classes too!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road! We struggled to find a range that was the right fit for us. We did finally find a range to partner with and then expanded to a second partner range in another town. We also struggle with finding new locations to teach our classes, as we would like to expand into the entire DFW area. We offer a 2-hour Level I Firearms and Range Safety Course that utilizes all FAKE firearms and FAKE ammo. This is a great hands-on introductory class for folks (especially women) who want to learn about firearms but are anxious or have some fear of the unknown. We can teach this class ANYWHERE, as all of the training aids are inert. We would love to secure some teaching locations all over DFW so we can offer classes on a rotating basis.
We also offer a Level II Firearms and Range Safety course where we take what we learned in Level I and implement it on the range with live fire. When we teach this class, it’s in combination with our Level I course for a total of 3-hours. However, this class requires a shooting range as the class location so that becomes more challenging to find ranges that have classroom space and also will allow outside instructors to teach there.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have been a self-employed mobile notary for 20 years (thirteen in Virginia and seven in Texas.) I specialize in being the most knowledgeable and competent notary in the area, routinely handling notarization of loan documents, Wills, Trusts, and many other types of documents. I am well known for providing service to elderly community members who are homebound or those who reside in skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, or assisted living facilities. I set myself apart from other notaries with my extensive knowledge of how to properly notarize signatures and what procedures and ceremonial requirements are necessary with the various notarial certificates on different documents. Wills require a specific ceremonial verbiage when signed by the Testator and the Witnesses, and I would wager that 95% of Texas notaries do not know or understand this, and do not perform their notarial duties correctly. I enjoy meeting new people in my community and assisting them with getting their documents properly signed and notarized.
In the shooting world, I first became an NRA Certified Range Safety Officer, never dreaming that I would develop a desire to become an instructor. A year and a half later I became an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and found that I truly enjoy teaching students who are new to firearms how to use them safely. I love seeing the smiles on their faces as they accomplish something that they may have previously been fearful of or had a lot of anxiety about. It’s very rewarding to help students improve their skills and to see them blossom with their newfound confidence.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is going to Disneyland with my family!
Pricing:
- $65 for classroom-only instruction with fake firearms and fake ammo
- $100 for classroom instruction and live fire session, plus range fee to the range
- $80 for Range Medic class and certifiation
- $125 for a private firearms lesson, plus range fee to the range
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ladiesofcaliber.com/
Image Credits
Image credits: Linda de Bree, Gail Spann, Natasha Campbell, JK Marten
