Reading List + Follows
Curated, values-aligned firearm books, legal references, harm-reduction resources, and people to follow - a counterweight to -published material for Portland's LGBTQIA+ firearm community.
How we pick retailer links:Powell's first (Portland-local, unionized, LGBTQ-friendly). Publisher or author direct when Powell's doesn't carry it. Bookshop.org next (indie-bookstore network). Amazon only as a last-resort fallback. None of these are affiliate links- we don't make a cent if you click.
Inclusive Training Manuals
Books written by (or explicitly for) women and first-time owners, in tones that don't rely on tactical bro culture.
I Want to Buy a Gun: A Non-Judgmental Guide to Firearms for the Non-Traditional Gun Buyer
Grant Cunningham · 2017
The clearest, most welcoming entry-point book for anyone who feels out of place in traditional gun culture. Cunningham - a professional gunsmith and NRA-certified instructor - walks through why people own guns, how federal law works, every major firearm type, the buying process, range basics, training types, and concealed carry without the political baggage found in most firearms literature. Especially useful for LGBTQIA+ buyers navigating an unfamiliar world for the first time.
Heads up: Self-published 2017; Oregon-specific law and Measure 114 are not covered. The marijuana/firearms section reflects pre-2018 federal law - verify current status at our Oregon Firearm Laws page. Legal framework (NFA, GCA, Form 4473) remains accurate as of 2026.
The Cornered Cat: A Woman's Guide to Concealed Carry
Kathy Jackson · 2010 · White Feather Press
Landmark women-authored carry book with a warm, non-macho tone. Written as if you're being taught by a patient friend.
Heads up: 2010 content; some gear references are dated and legal sections need supplementing.
Shooter Ready: A Handgun Training Manual
Gabby Franco · 2015
Olympic shooter and Venezuelan immigrant. Skills-focused, 'everyone belongs here' energy.
Heads up: Light on legal content - pure technical skills book.
The Well-Armed Woman: Concealed Carry and Self-Defense
Carrie Lightfoot · 2013
Practical first-gun book written with a gentle, non-intimidating tone.
Heads up: Brand leans conservative-coded in marketing; the book itself is apolitical.
Lessons from Armed America
Kathy Jackson & Mark Walters · 2009 · White Feather Press
Case studies of defensive firearm use, written without chest-thumping.
Concealed Carry for Women
Gila Hayes · 2013 · Gun Digest Books
Straightforward women-focused concealed carry reference from a respected author.
Non-Partisan Reference Material
Technically competent reference books without NRA political baggage. Where authors carry their own caveats, we say so.
Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense
Massad Ayoob · 2020 · Gun Digest Books
The standard lay-reader legal reference on use of force. Cited constantly in self-defense cases.
Heads up: Ayoob is a career LEO trainer; framing is cop-adjacent. Use as a legal primer, not a values document.
Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry
Massad Ayoob · 2018 · Gun Digest Books
Solid, non-NRA intro-to-CCW text covering equipment, training, and carry logistics.
Glock Reference Guide
Robb Manning · 2020 · Gun Digest Books
Platform-specific maintenance and reference for the most commonly-encountered polymer pistol.
USCCA Concealed Carry and Home Defense Fundamentals
Michael Martin · Delta Defense / USCCA
Widely-used non-NRA class textbook. Technically competent on fundamentals, law, and defensive thinking.
Heads up: USCCA is a for-profit insurance product with conservative-leaning marketing; the textbook itself is apolitical.
Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make
Claude Werner · Self (Tactical Professor)
Data-driven, explicitly skeptical of gun-culture machismo. Short-form but professionally respected.
Self-Defense Law
The legal reference shelf. Oregon-specific content intentionally lives on FST's own pages instead - state law moves too fast for a commercial book to stay current.
The Law of Self Defense
Andrew Branca · 2016 · Law of Self Defense LLC
State-by-state technical legal reference on self-defense law, widely respected in that narrow lane.
Heads up: Branca's public platform leans strongly conservative. The book is a legal text; the author's commentary is a separate thing to weigh.
For Oregon law specifically:
FST maintains current, dated references on these pages rather than point to a book that may be stale within a year:
Trauma / Stop the Bleed Companions
Free authoritative resources that complement any bleeding-control course. Pairs with FST's Stop the Bleed resource page.
Stop the Bleed Course Manual
American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma · ACS
The official ACS Stop the Bleed course material. Free digital version; also available in print.
Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) Handbook
US Army Institute of Surgical Research · Public domain
Free, authoritative source for the bleeding-control concepts every reputable civilian course teaches.
Emergency War Surgery (5th ed.)
Borden Institute · 2018 · US Army Borden Institute
Free PDF. Deep austere-medicine reference.
Heads up: Military framing and graphic imagery - an instructor reference, not student-facing.
Harm Reduction + Safe Storage
Free, evidence-based resources on suicide prevention and safe storage. This is the research spine behind how FST talks about storage.
Means Matter (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
Gold-standard harm-reduction framing for suicide prevention + firearms. Free printable materials and clinician guidance.
Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM)
Free, evidence-based training from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center on how to talk about temporary firearm storage in crisis.
Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety
Oregon-specific safe-storage advocacy and printables. Aligned with how FST frames storage conversations.
LOK-IT-UP (Washington State)
Our northern neighbor's state-backed safe-storage campaign. Free downloadable materials.
Academic + Policy
Heavier reading for the public-health and policy framing behind responsible ownership conversations.
The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know
Philip J. Cook & Kristin A. Goss · 2020 · Oxford University Press
Academic, genuinely non-partisan overview of US gun policy including suicide data. Background for why FST teaches storage the way it does.
Private Guns, Public Health
David Hemenway · 2017 · University of Michigan Press
Public-health framing of firearm injury from one of the field's leading researchers.
People to Follow
The best queer-adjacent firearm education often lives outside books - in podcasts, newsletters, and blog archives. These are the voices worth subscribing to.
Tamara Keel
Blog
Columnist, Shooting Illustrated + RECOIL. Practical, data-driven, no-BS.
Annette Evans
On Her Own
Podcast + blog. Beginner-friendly, welcoming, Pacific-Northwest-adjacent.
Melody Lauer
Citizens Defense Research
Co-founder, Citizens Defense Research. Strong courseware; articles on real-world defensive thinking.
Claude Werner (Tactical Professor)
Blog
Retired trainer who writes with skepticism toward tactical bro culture. Heavy on data.
Community Orgs + Printables
Free downloadable resources and affinity groups. This is where a lot of the queer firearms conversation actually happens.
Socialist Rifle Association
Leftist firearm org with free zines, reading lists, and a national network of affinity groups.
Liberal Gun Club
Long-running non-partisan-to-progressive firearm community with training events and local chapters.
Pink Pistols
Original LGBTQIA+ self-defense organization. Chapters across the US; resources and connect-with-local-members.
Operation Blazing Sword
National network of instructors offering free or low-cost firearms orientation to LGBTQIA+ people.
Also worth knowing: FST's full community resources directory has more orgs, Portland-area groups, and inclusive training partners.
Honest gaps
- No traditionally-published queer-authored firearms book exists that we can verify with a stable publisher and ISBN. Most of the best queer and queer-adjacent firearm education lives in podcasts, blogs, Discord servers, and org zines - which is why the People to Follow and Community Orgs sections above carry as much weight as the book list.
- No Oregon-specific commercial bookis listed. Oregon law has been moving fast (Measure 114 litigation, permit questions). A book published in 2024 may be half-stale in 2026. Rely on state sources and FST's own dated pages instead.
- Know of a title worth adding? Email Anth@FirearmSafetyTeam.com. If it checks out, it lands on this page.
Pair Reading with Hands-On Training
Books build the foundation; range time builds the skill. When you're ready to put concepts into practice, FST has you covered.