---
title: "These Badass Vets Give Whole New Meaning To The Phrase ‘Shoot Like A Girl’"
date: "2017-06-28"
modified: "2017-06-28"
authors:
  - name: "Sarah Sicard"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/sarahsicard/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/military-life/badass-vets-give-whole-new-meaning-phrase-shoot-like-girl/"
categories:
  - "Guns"
  - "Tech & Tactics"
  - "Weapons"
tags:
  - "women in military"
---

# These Badass Vets Give Whole New Meaning To The Phrase ‘Shoot Like A Girl’

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/03/19041165-1.jpg>)

We all know what performing “like a girl” implies — to be feminine, ineffectual, and weak. But two veterans, Kinessa Johnson and Tonya Greenwood, prove that “shooting like a girl” means something else entirely.

The two shooters, veterans of the Army and the Navy respectively, are breaking down stereotypes about women who know their way around a shooting range. And let’s just say that after speaking with them, none of the writers at Task & Purpose want to end up on the wrong end of their guns — bare arms or armaments.

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/03/image-placeholder-title-48.jpg>)

**When did you first learn to shoot?** Age six.

**How often do you visit the range?** I try and go as much as possible but I haven't been able to go with work because I'm gone a lot.

**Do you have a favorite gun?** I would have to say I'm a huge Glock fan. I carry a 19 Gen 4 because I know that no matter what the likelihood of it having a malfunction is almost impossible. Could it happen? Yes, but it's proven in all kinds of elements and situations that it's dependable.

**What’s one thing you wish people understood about guns?** I wish people would stop blaming guns for things happening. It's not guns that are an issue; it's bad people who want to cause harm to people.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSRfqCAhvdY

**What’s one thing gun people get wrong about you?** Maybe that I'm some kind of expert. I'm not: I like to think that it's a skill that you constantly thrive to make yourself better at. It's a skill that depreciates if you don't do it a lot.

**What do you think it really means to “shoot like a girl?”** I don't think a woman shoots any different than a man. One better than the other. I have never taken it seriously.

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/03/image-placeholder-title-49.jpg>)

**When did you first learn to shoot?** Around 12 years old

**How often do you visit the range now?** A couple times a month

**Do you have a favorite gun?** My favorite gun is the first gun I ever built for hog hunting: a 300 blackout pistol. It has a 8.5" KAK industries barrel, Shockwave blade, Geissele trigger, and an Aimpoint CompM4 optic. I've taken a lot of game with it over the last couple of years, and it's been one of the most reliable firearms I own. I'm very proud of it.

**What do you think of the phrase “gun bunny?”** I think it's a derogatory phrase that's been commonly thrown around the industry to describe a woman whose affiliation with the firearm community is more likely for attention instead of actual interest in the sport. It's often a term used to dumb down the person’s knowledge as well, and it instantly resonates that they do not take the female seriously.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSTDHafl_xF

**What’s one thing you wish non-gun people got right about guns?** Terminology.

**What’s one thing gun people get wrong about you?** I think many people think I must have a man behind me in the shadows helping me and guiding me through my journey, when in reality I do everything by myself. I run my business by myself and I build all my firearms by myself. When I do run into problems that completely stump me, I'm not too proud to reach out and ask for help or advice from lead industry affiliates, though.

**What do you think it really means to “shoot like a girl?”** I think it means being a strong female and bringing some class and sass to the range or whatever shooting platform you represent.