Mother teaches her seven children, the youngest just 5 years old, to use high-powered guns so they don't have "victim mentality"
Anna Taylor has had a tough childhood, being raped three times as a teenager and suffering the trauma that the assaults triggered, and which linger till date. Given this history, the mother of seven is adamant on teaching her children how to shoot in order to ensure that they do not grow up with a victim's mentality.
Anna, founder & CEO of Dene Adams, LLC which is reknown for its innovative concealed carry holster designs, trainings, and knowledge, has set up a gun range on her rural Kansas property where the entire family comes together to fire high-powered weapons.
Anna's youngest daughter Savanna, five, is the only member of the family who is not yet firing live ammunition, only shooting unloaded guns so far. Meanwhile, her other children have taken so much to the shooting practices that they seem to even have a favorite gun of their own.
Anna's seven-year-old Addi says his favorite gun is a rifle, while eight-year-old Dylan prefers a pistol. Her oldest Samie is just 16 years old.
Anna said that she and her husband, Jason, want their family to be "situationally aware" and fully educated in marksmanship. "I know that evil exists and I certainly don't live in fear. But it is a reality, and I am the first line of defense for my children and my family," she said in an interview with Daily Mail.
"I've heard it said 'I carry a gun because a cop's too big to fit in my purse.' Well, that's so true."
Anna revealed that she felt that if her children are exposed to guns and taught how to shoot from an early age, they would be equipped to handle any untoward situation that they may face in the futire.
"I've carried since some of the kids were little," she said. "My second-youngest, she was still nursing and I would carry my gun around my waist so since they've been little they've been up against a firearm or seen it or felt it, or known that it was there."
Anna added that it is a tremendous responsibility when it comes to teaching children how to use a gun and one must take it seriously.
"If you neglect to teach them safety and respect and teach them bad habits then that's 100 percent on you," she said.
"So from day one I have taught them and taught them how it works. Removing the mystery, teaching them how it works, as well as respect for life, and that a gun can be dangerous if misused is what I teach them."
Anna found her interest when she was raped by three different men, when she was between the ages of 13 and 18 years.
"Growing up in Topeka, Kansas, I was very quiet and closed off. It's the quiet, reserved and unsure girls that are targeted by a predator," she said.
"What I realized, with the knowledge I have now, it was the victim mentality that I had." In her 20s, Anna moved to the rough neighborhood of Kanas City and recalled feeling fearful after a neighbor was gunned down.
"One day, just down the block from us, three guys kicked in the front door and shot and killed the homeowner," she recalled.
"I remember going on walks with the kids through the neighborhood when they were rolling up the bloody carpet to tear out of that house. It was such a vulnerable place to be," she continued.
"I thought that if somebody was to bust down my door and intrude at night, I would be very defenseless against them. So I really wanted to get my concealed carry permit."
When Anna was pregnant with her fourth child, she decided to buy a gun. She then went on to become a USCCA training counselor and an NRA certified instructor.
Now, Anna has an impressive range of guns at her home. "I have a Glock 19 and an extra 31 round Glock Magazine," she said. "I have a Walther CCP, all 9 millimeters. I have a North-American Arms mini revolver, and a Sig Sauer P238, which is a micro 380. I've got guns in all kinds of colors."
Following this, Anna went on to make concealed carry corsets which allow her to carry up to four guns and a knife at any time. With her business thriving, Anna is ambitions to build her business into the number-one holster company in the world. But her priority remains the safety of her children.