Girls with Guns

American superstar and sharpshooter Annie Oakley once said “I would like to see every woman know how to handle [firearms] as naturally as they know how to handle babies.”

What is it about girls with guns? It just seems to me that I am seeing a lot more firearm-toting females these days. On the big screen I would swear that every recent action flick I’ve seen has featured a lead actress with hardware tucked in her purse or a piece strapped under her skirt. Even documentaries about sharpshooter Annie Oakley have been resurfacing on PBS. I was already noticing a pattern when I discovered a trend right here on the Girls Can’t WHAT? site!

It’s Christmas season, so like a responsible online retailer, I diligently check my shop orders every day and process custom designs as they are requested. I was doing this at a friend’s house last week while our power was out, and she asked me what the top seller was in my shop for Christmas, so I took a little peek at my statistics.

Prior to Black Friday, or whatever they call the day after Thanksgiving when everyone goes mad spending every last dime they have, the top selling designs in my shop were the Guitar Player and the Veterinarian. Most of the time those designs were placed on a baseball jersey. I fully expected to see one of those two characters hanging on to the top spot, but I was rather surprised by the latest results.

It appears that the “girls with guns” phenomenon has infiltrated my shop. The two designs now dominating the top spot are the Police Officer and the Hunter! The #1 top selling item is the Hunter design on a pink women’s T-shirt. I never would have guessed that in a million years. The #2 top item is the Police Officer on an ash grey T-shirt. Trailing way behind in third place is the Basketball Player on a basic tee.

So “Girls with Guns” are a hot item this Christmas. Who knew? And these “Girls with Guns” designs aren’t just being printed on women’s apparel, they are selling on all kinds of gear from mugs to hats to Christmas ornaments. They’ve even shipped out on infant apparel so that we can pass on the gun-toting skills to future generations.

So Annie, I think you got your wish.