Meet Marchelle “Tig” Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marchelle Davis.

Hi Marchelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory
I became a firearms instructor and started my company in 2016 after serving seven years in the Army. At the time, I was working at a local Atlanta gun range and fell in love with teaching people how to shoot firearms safely. I noticed that women would specifically ask for me to teach them how to shoot, citing they felt more comfortable with a women instructor, which made me realize how important representation was. I decided to leave the range and teach group women firearms classes across the country. To date, I’ve taught over 3,500 women across 15 states. My ultimate goal is to teach one million women how to defend themselves with firearms.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The beginning of my career was probably the most difficult but not in the ways you’d imagine. My original intent was to teach one or two classes per month and maybe 20 students total. When I scheduled my first official class in February 2017, the responses were overwhelming. At the time I didn’t have a staff so my friends and I went overdrive trying to meet the demand. I ended up teaching 40 students that first day and over 100 the next month. Honestly it was the most exhausting and rewarding time of my life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in teaching women’s firearms classes for new shooters. My classes are different from others because I’m a black woman teaching mostly other black women how to use firearms. Historically, the gun industry was catered towards older white males. My classes are a safe, calming space. I call my students “sisters” and we treat each other as such. Sometimes we cry, we always find opportunities to laugh and the students are encouraged to work together to answer questions and solve problems. I’m most proud that I’ve been able to be the change I want to see. Black women are three times as likely to be targeted for violent attacks than their non-black counterparts and I’m working to lower those statistics.

Any big plans?
I haven’t told anyone this yet but I also own “My Brother’s Keeper Defense,” which will serve as the coed firearms instruction company ran by my boyfriend Jay. Soon we’ll be offering defensive pistol and rifle classes.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.mysisterskeeperdefense.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/mysisterskeeperdefense/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012675736624
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC93HcRMYhQTQH2nZ3LqeYKg/featured

Image Credits
Courtney Jefferson