RSWC #234 Lynn Webb

Riding Shotgun With Charlie

#234

Lynn Webb

Eagle Eye Personal Defense

 

On the way home from NRA’s Annual Meeting in Atlanta, I did a “swing by” in Memphis then went to Mississippi for a couple shows. Talking with Meekos Beech, I let him know I was going to Oxford, Miss. to interview Lynn Webb. He said “Cornbread”! I guess they knew each other. I love that my Olympic Ring is expanding into their rings. 

 

Lynn always wanted to be in law enforcement, even when there weren’t a lot of women officers. She did an internship with the sheriff’s department and was involved in their reserve program. Then she worked in the jail and university police department. (We were right in Oxford, Miss, so I’m assuming she’s talking about Old Miss.) After a decade there, she was a lieutenant and the officer in charge of the motorcycle division. One of the local sheriffs heard she was looking for a job, and he hired her as the first female deputy in their history in 2007. She also spent some years as a school resource officer. 

 

One of the other deputies asked her if she wanted to do some IDPA pistol shooting. About half way through the match, she regretted not shooting. Once she got the IDPA bug, she got more involved and went up in her rankings She’s competed in several local and national matches.There were times when she even branched out to USPSA and Steel Challenge, too. In 2015, she became an NRA and USCCA certified instructor. When her 25 years on the department were up, the plan was to be a part time firearm instructor. 

 

During retirement, she’s mostly focusing on training women. She has worked with both The Armed Women of America and A Girl & A Gun. Both are great groups that guide women through gun ownership and training. The real focus of her company, Eagle Eye Personal Defense, was to put female shooters on the correct path and help them learn to shoot and defend themselves and their loved ones. Since she has retirement hours, her schedule for training is flexible. 

 

One of the fun things about my “road show” is that I get to learn about licensing in other states. Mississippi is a permitless carry state, but the state does issue permits. Often it’s for reciprocity for those who want to travel and carry. They do consider it an enhanced permit so you can carry in more places than if you didn’t have a permit. For the enhanced permit, there is additional training, which includes live fire, use of force, and concealed carry statute. Much of what she does is from the USCCA curriculum. 

 

The live fire portion is up to the instructor. What Lynn does is start with a big IDPA target to make sure they’re hitting the target. Then another target with 3 in.circles and numbers in the circles to make sure they’re looking at their sights. Once they’re hitting those, they move to a smaller NRA target. Ultimately, the state did not decide on what needs to be fired. The firearms she clients use are often what they own and, even though some want to shoot larger calibers, she will let someone use a .22 if that’s what they have. 

 

What I find really great around the country is that there are local ranges where people can rent range time and rent guns, too. In Massachusetts, the ranges are private and you have to be a member to shoot there. But all around the country, there’s ranges all over the place. She mentioned about five or six just in her country. 

 

I really enjoyed hanging out with Lynn. She’s a great woman doing wonderful things in Mississippi. Training women, keeping kids safe in schools, and enjoying her retirement. She gave me a short tour of Oxford and its surroundings. She also brought me some Crittenden Distillery single barrel bourbon whiskey. 

Favorite quotes:

“Half way through watching, I regretted not shooting.”

“I wanted to make sure the people coming to me had the best tools that they could get…to protect themselves and to be proficient with their firearm.”

“If a .22 is all they got and that’s what they carry, they should be able to shoot a .22.” 

“Shooting people call me Cornbread.”

 

Eagle Eye Personal Defense LLC

https://www.facebook.com/EEPDT15/

 

USCCA link to EEPD

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/firearms-traini