Ashley Selmon has been around firearms most of her life.

 

The 2008 graduate of Bridgeport High School has accumulated knowledge, experience and a love for them that she wants to share with others with an emphasis on safety.

 

Last October, Selmon became a certified firearms instructor through the United States Concealed Carry Association and she currently works for and helps run First Team Defense Training Academy, which is based out of Marion County and owned by Bill Watkins.

 

“I grew up around firearms,” Selmon said. “I’ve been hunting and shooting since I was like three years old. I actually thought about doing this (getting certified) three years ago but there weren’t a lot of courses out there. This was before Bill opened First Team Defense.

 

“I took his class in June of 2021. In June of 2022 I took another class and that’s when I decided to start pursuing it.”

 

Watkins said First Team Defense tries to be a one-stop shop for everybody.

 

“All we deal with is self-defense training,” he said. “That includes anything from concealed carry and home defense fundamentals to real estate agent safety training to hand gun self defense. We also have other classes we are bringing into the mix such as hand gun and self-defense basics which is for people that have never been into guns but want to get into learning how to safely handle a gun.”

 

Watkins said they have even acquired firearms and things like eye/ear protection that are available for students to use (at an additional cost to the class fees) so if they come in and take a course and find out it’s not for them, then they are only out the money for the class.

 

They have recently opened up a new field training range and classroom in the Mount Clare area. The first class was taught there on Jan. 28.

 

That location is also the site for something else that Selmon has recently gotten off the ground.

 

“I also started a free all-female group,” she said. “We meet once a month and discuss self-defense and proper firearm handling. We are about empowering and supporting each other. With everything in today’s age and females being the more likely target, I wanted to make sure any woman, any age, at any time is able to feel safe and secure.”

 

The name of the group is Ashley’s Angels Ladies and Lead (or just Ashley’s Angels for short). The group launched in November, shortly after her certification process with the USCCA was completed. She said they are up to 78 online members and there are about 10 coming to the monthly in-person meetings and it’s growing every day.

 

“This is for anybody at any level,” Selmon said. “It can be very intimidating. One student who started off with Bill was scared to death of a firearm. She kept taking classes, she joined Ashley’s Angels and now she is helping the other ladies and is going to become a range safety officer.

 

“That’s why I started the group right there; for women to reach their full potential with this. Women are great at shooting, they listen and they are better students than the guys a lot of times. Once they get past that fear, something just clicks. They light up and they walk off with better confidence. We call it the ‘ah-ha’ moment.

 

“Once I got into it I didn’t realize how personally rewarding it is to teach others and see the women get empowered like that. It’s been amazing to see that and know I was able to help them do that.”

 

Establishing Ashley’s Angels as something free to join falls in line with another goal of the group and First Team Defense as a whole – giving back to the community.

 

Ashley’s Angels recently took donations to the Marion County Humane Society and is actively looking for more groups to help out with.

 

“I always wanted to give back to the community,” Selmon said. “My family didn’t have much growing up and we had to rely on things like the Angel Tree, food banks. “The fact I’m in the position to give back is huge. Ashley’s Angles is completely free. I don’t want somebody to miss out on something because they have the money.”

 

Watkins and First Team Defense help out with Wreaths Across America and doing anything he can to help out veterans is a focal point.

 

“If a veteran comes in to take a class, we don’t charge veterans,” Watkins said. “To come in and take their conceal carry or anything like that, there’s no charge. That’s one way to give back to my brothers and sisters. They have already given everything than give by doing what they do for this country,”

 

The next Ashley’s Angels meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. on March 12. More information on Ashley’s Angels can be found HERE.

 

More information on First Team Defense can be found on their website HERE or their Facebook Page HERE.

 

First Team Defense can also be found on Tiktok @firstteamdefense