Why we asked

When we design and develop firearms, we think about women. We had questions — about carrying, about what they actually look for, about what the industry gets right and wrong. Rather than answer those questions ourselves, we put them to women who carry, and rather than keep the answers in a conference room, we are publishing them.

The ground rule was simple: say the question, then give the honest answer. This is not a piece about loving Derya. Only the last question is about our pistols at all — DY9 or DY9Z, and why — and we asked for the same honesty there as everywhere else. What follows is for the women who carry, for the people buying gifts for them, and for anyone who would rather hear it straight from them than from us.

The review, question by question

Nine questions, in the order they are asked in the film. Each timestamp opens that question on YouTube.

Q1  What do you carry, and why?  1:07 ↗

Nobody led with a brand. Steph carries a 9mm for its size, reliability and capacity, and because it leaves room for an optic. Rachel rotates between a few carry guns, but every one of them has to clear the same bar — comfort, capacity, reliability, concealability — and she is clear that she is not shopping for the smallest gun on the shelf, she is shopping for the one she can shoot well.

Stephanie’s answer is about why rather than what: safety, hers and her family’s. She would rather have it and never need it than need it and not have it, and she wants more women to make that same decision — for sport if they enjoy it, for safety if they don’t.

Q2  Your first gun. Who influenced it?  2:48 ↗

Fathers, twice. Rachel’s dad had her picking up brass and cleaning guns long before she could appreciate what she was learning, then gifted her first carry gun when she got her permit at 21. She has moved on to pistols that suit her better, but she still has that one. Steph’s father gave her hers when she was living alone — and signed her up for a women’s concealed carry class so she would know the safety side before anything else.

Anna came to it as an adult. A knowledgeable friend took her out to try several guns, so by the time she bought she knew how she wanted a pistol to feel and how she wanted to carry it. The Derya pistols are the first firearms she has owned.

Q3  Is the industry actually intimidating for women?  4:29 ↗

Yes — and mostly from the outside. Anna calls it a male-dominated field that looks intimidating until you walk in; her first industry event, GOALS in Iowa, turned out to be open and friendly, and as a new shooter she got nothing but positive feedback.

Rachel’s take is that it is intimidating the way anything new is intimidating: a whole vocabulary, different ammunition, platforms, accessories, techniques and a million opinions on how it all has to be done. Her fix is more places where women can try guns and ask questions without feeling judged. Stephanie agrees the nerves are real the first time out — and that they go away once you learn safely from someone who knows.

Q4  How do you like to carry, and why that method?  6:41 ↗

Jaki took years to settle on appendix, inside the waistband, in Kydex: always in the same easy-to-reach spot, positive retention, a hard cover over the trigger guard. Behind the hip was uncomfortable to sit with, especially in the car, and harder to get to.

Rachel has tried all of it — belt setups with Kydex, clothing with built-in holsters, fanny packs, carry-specific bags — and lands on a bigger point: how you carry has to work with your life, and your life changes. Steph splits it 50-50 between on body and off body depending on where she is going and what she is wearing; either way it has to be secured, accessible and safe.

Q5  Does color matter to you?  8:37 ↗

It matters, just not the way a catalog might assume. Anna cares about color and chose black and black-and-tan on purpose — for carry she wants nothing that draws attention. Jaki loves pinks, purples, magentas and maroons, and has never chosen a gun based on its color. Rachel puts color near the bottom of the list: if a gun she shoots well also comes in a nice color, all the better.

Q6  What size are you looking for in a carry gun?  9:33 ↗

Big enough to shoot well, small enough to hide every day. Jaki wants enough gun to manage recoil and be a better shot, but not so much that she leaves it at home — it is called an everyday carry for a reason. Rachel adds the variable most spec sheets ignore: the season. What she can conceal in a sweater is nothing like what she can conceal in July. Anna, with more trigger time now, finds a heavier, bigger pistol easier at the range and still wants something smaller to carry.

Q7  A safety habit or trick you swear by.  10:36 ↗

Three different habits, all of them cheap. Rachel never leaves home without a flashlight — not a weapon light, a flashlight on a keychain or in a pocket — because you cannot shoot what you cannot see. Steph never assumes a firearm is clear, no matter who just told her it is; she checks it herself, at the range, at home, every time. Stephanie’s is about complacency: being around firearms for years is exactly when people start skipping steps. Safe direction, finger off the trigger, know the condition of your gun.

Q8  One thing every gun owner should know that gets overlooked.  12:10 ↗

Three women who have never met gave the same answer: practice. Jaki’s version is dry fire at home, in the clothes you actually wear, with the same holster in the same position — gun verified empty, ammunition out of the room — until clearing a cover garment and drawing is as familiar as reaching for your keys.

Rachel’s is that owning a gun does not make you proficient with one, and that shooting is a perishable skill: getting your permit is the start of training, not the end of it. Stephanie’s is that buying a firearm does not mean you know how to use it — learn the basics, train even when you cannot get to a range, and learn the laws where you live.

Q9  DY9 or DY9Z? Which do you prefer, and why?  13:57 ↗

The only question about us, and the answers split exactly the way we hoped they would. Jaki picks the DY9Z: the same 15-round capacity in a smaller, easier-to-conceal package, backstraps to size the grip up if you want it, and a red dot mounts directly to the slide with no plate. Anna wants both — the DY9Z to carry, because she wears form-fitting clothing, and the DY9 at the range, because the extra weight makes it easier to shoot.

Steph calls it a hard one and does not really want to choose. If she has to, it is the DY9Z — compact enough to carry on body or off body, which is what she has done since the beginning — but her last word is the one we would put on the box: at the end of the day, it is all about what works for you.

Full transcript

The complete transcript of the long-form film, in order, with timestamps that open the moment on YouTube. It follows the on-screen captions. Stephanie answers in Spanish; her lines appear here in the English translation shown in the film.

Cold open  0:00 ↗

ANNA  0:00

I would say the gun world looks intimidating from the outside to women.

JAKI  0:06

If it's too big to hide every day, am I gonna carry it every day?

RACHEL  0:09

Owning a gun does not automatically make you proficient with one, and I know that sounds really obvious.

STEPH  0:15

Don't need to know it all.

STEPHANIE (translated from Spanish)  0:16

And that fear is going to go away. I promise you, a hundred percent.

What Women Really Want  0:19 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  0:24

When we design and develop firearms, we think about women. We had questions — about carrying, about what they actually look for, about what the industry gets right and wrong. Rather than just answering those questions ourselves, we asked women of all experience levels. And rather than keep the answers to ourselves, we wanted to share them with everybody. For the women who carry. For the people buying gifts. For anyone who wants to hear it straight from them instead of from us. There are a couple of questions at the end about the DY9 and DY9Z specifically, because we wanted real answers on those too. But the heart of this is women and gun ownership. Here's what they said.

Q1  What do you carry, and why? What do you look for: size, grip, weight, feel, concealability?  1:07 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  1:08

What do you carry and why? What specifically do you look for? Size, grip, weight, feel, concealability?

STEPH  1:16

So my everyday carry is a nine mil just because of the size. I feel like it is reliable, easy to carry, and comfortable. I do like running optic, so I like that option of having the flexibility of adding an optic. As well as the capacity.

RACHEL  1:35

I have a few different carry options that I pick from, but what I'm looking for in a carry gun is comfort, capacity, reliability, and concealability. I'm not necessarily looking for the smallest gun available, but I'm looking for something that is easily concealable and that I'm actually able to shoot well. Does it fit in my hand well? Am I able to manipulate all of the controls? And most importantly, am I confident enough with it that I'm going to actually leave the house with it?

STEPHANIE (translated from Spanish)  1:59

For me, carrying a gun is mainly about safety, mine and my family's. I carry because I want to be ready. Like the saying goes, I'd rather have it and never use it than not have it and need it, guys. Another thing: I don't want to play the victim, or make anyone a victim, but women, unfortunately, are a little more exposed to things. Why? Because they see us as weaker, because we're an easier target, however you want to look at it. So that's why I want to bring this message to women: go for it. If you don't like it as a sport, do it for safety. And that's why I carry.

Q2  Your first gun. Who influenced it? What worked, and what didn't?  2:48 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  2:49

Your first gun. Who influenced it? What worked and what didn't?

RACHEL  2:54

My dad's the reason I grew up around firearms. I mean, shoot, I was probably picking up brass and helping him clean guns before I was really old enough to appreciate what all I was learning. Then when I turned 21, I went and got my concealed carry permit. And my dad actually gifted me my first carry gun. I have since moved on to things that suit me better, but I do still have that gun and I'll probably never be able to get rid of it. It's a big part of my journey.

STEPH  3:16

My first gun was given to me from my father. At the time I was living alone. So he wanted to make sure that I was protected. He even signed me up for a woman's conceal carry class ensure that I knew the safety, the precautions, and owning a firearm. Because of the fact that it's compact. It fit in my hand perfect, you know, and being a female on body, off body, it just made it a lot easier for me.

ANNA  3:45

I'm Anna and I recently was interested in trying out some different guns for home defense. I've never owned a gun myself personally. But I had a local friend who was knowledgeable and experienced and took me out to try a few different guns and so I got a taste of what I wanted it to feel like and how to carry. I've had the privilege of trying several different guns through my friends, so I got an idea of the feel that I wanted and Derya is actually the first guns I have owned. And they just fit the bill of what I wanted what I liked, what I didn't like.

Q3  Is the industry actually intimidating for women? Or does it just look that way?  4:29 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  4:29

Is the industry actually intimidating for women, or does it just look that way?

ANNA  4:35

I would say the gun world looks intimidating from the outside to women. Particularly because it's a very male dominated field. I recently had the privilege of going to GOALS in Iowa, just a few months ago and I was pleasantly surprised to see how open and friendly everyone was. And me as a new shooter coming into this industry, I had nothing but positive feedback.

RACHEL  5:10

I think the firearms industry can absolutely feel intimidating for women, but in the same way that trying anything for the first time can be intimidating because you just don't know what you don't know, right? And I mean, shoot. I get intimidated every time I walk back into the gym for the first time after a long absence spell. Anyway, but the firearms industry has a lot going on. We've got an entirely different vocabulary for things. We've got different types of ammunition, different platforms, different accessories, different techniques, and a million different opinions on how everything needs to be done. So it's just a lot going on. And I think that the more opportunities that we create for women to try different guns and ask questions and learn in an environment that they don't feel judged would go a really long way. Most important thing to remember is you don't have to know everything before you get out on the range.

STEPHANIE (translated from Spanish)  5:56

The industry really can be intimidating. A hundred percent. We all know that at first, when you go and shoot, you get nerves. It's scary. We expect them to be dangerous things, but when you get into it and start using them safely with someone who knows, guys, it's something really, really beautiful. And besides, like I said, the main reason, safety, it's a beautiful sport. You enjoy it. I enjoy it way too much. I love guns. But a hundred percent, I recommend you go, learn how to use it, and I know you're going to like it, and that fear is going to go away. I promise you, a hundred percent.

Q4  How do you like to carry? And why that method?  6:41 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  6:42

How do you like to carry, and why that method?

JAKI  6:46

It took a lot of years of wearing a gun to kinda figure out what I did and didn't like about certain holsters. My current favorite way to carry is appendix in the waistband with a Kydex holster. The nice thing about this method is that it's always in a spot that's really easy access, right at the front of your body. I did try behind my hip a little bit, but it seemed that it was really uncomfortable to sit, especially in the car. And it's always really hard to access it. As for the material, I like the Kydex because it offers a really good positive retention on the gun as well as a hard trigger guard cover.

RACHEL  7:23

So I've tried a little bit of everything over the years. I have my traditional belt setups with Kydex holsters. I have concealed carry clothing with built in holsters. I've got fanny packs concealed carry specific bags. But ultimately I'm a big believer that how you carry has to work with your lifestyle and sometimes we have to adapt. And sometimes that looks different for different women in different stages of life. How I carried when I was 21 is really different than how I carried while I was pregnant and definitely different than how I carry now as a mom of two. Ultimately there's not really one size fits all when it comes to perfect conceal carry setup. It's something that's very personal for each individual. And we just wanna keep a few things in mind when we are carrying so like retention, trigger protection, and accessibility.

STEPH  8:07

I like to carry both on body and off body. It just all depends on where I'm going, what I'm wearing and what works best for me that day. So I would say that both it gets a 50-50. Being as a female, it's a little bit harder when it comes to clothes and stuff like that. To actually on body your concealed firearm. But I would say that I do both. Either way, I want it secured, accessible to me, and also carried safely.

Q5  Does color matter to you? What color do you actually want?  8:37 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  8:37

Does color matter to you? What color do you actually want?

ANNA  8:42

For me, color does matter. I have the black DY9 and a black and tan DY9Z. I prefer these colors over more flashy colors. I want something that's going to be easily concealed and not going to draw attention. So I prefer more of the basic colors than something off the rainbow.

JAKI  9:05

When it comes to the color of your gun. Clearly I'm an enthusiast for the palette. I absolutely love pinks, purples, magentas, maroons. I've never chosen a gun based on its color. Finding a gun you already love in a color you love is a huge win.

RACHEL  9:25

For me personally, color is pretty far down on my list of priorities, but if I get a gun that I can shoot well and I'm confident in and it comes in a nice color, all the better.

Q6  What size are you looking for in a carry gun? And why?  9:33 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  9:33

What size are you looking for in a carry gun, and why?

JAKI  9:38

I wanna carry a gun that is big enough to where when I'm shooting it, I can really handle that recoil well and be a better shot. But I also don't want it so big to where I can't hide it because let's face it, it's called an everyday carry for a reason. If it's too big to hide every day, am I gonna carry it every day?

RACHEL  9:57

When we're looking at the size of gun for conceal carry, it all goes back to comfort, capacity, reliability, and concealability. So I want something that I am able to shoot well, but I'm also able to conceal well and that's small enough that I'm not sacrificing my ability to shoot. We're also looking at what season it is, because what you can conceal carry in the winter is vastly different than what I'm able to conceal carry in the summer. Sweater weather is very forgiving.

ANNA  10:18

Now that I've had some time with many different types of guns, I find that having a little more weight and a bigger gun is easier to shoot at the range. However when I consider carry, I want something that's smaller and more concealable.

Q7  A safety habit or trick you swear by.  10:36 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  10:37

A safety habit or trick you swear by.

RACHEL  10:40

Never leave home without a flashlight. You can't shoot what you can't see. I think it's often overlooked that a good flashlight can go a long way. There's a lot of ways to utilize them, and I'm not talking necessarily a weapons light. I'm just talking about a flashlight, something you can put on a keychain or in a pocket, something that's part of your everyday carry, but not necessarily on your gun.

STEPH  10:57

I like this one. Never assume. Never assume that the firearm is clear. Even if somebody tells you that it is, you always double check. This is a habit that I just am so strict about, whether at the range or at home. Or any time, you know, you're checking out a firearm. Always make sure that it is clear. That is something that I do live by. You just never know. And it's just for the protection of yourself and for everybody else around you. So never assume.

STEPHANIE (translated from Spanish)  11:32

My most important safety habit, one of the most important, guys, is not getting complacent just because you've been around a lot of firearms. That's one. And the other one, guys, is pointing the gun in a safe direction, not having your finger on the trigger, and knowing the condition of your gun. So: finger off the trigger, always point in a safe direction. Just because you've been around firearms, don't skip or ignore these steps, guys. Don't get complacent just because of that. And know the condition of your gun.

Q8  One thing every gun owner should know that gets overlooked.  12:10 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  12:11

One thing every gun owner should know that gets overlooked.

JAKI  12:15

One thing that I think gets overlooked way too often is how much you should be practicing with the gun that you carry every single day. Let's face it. Everything else that we carry around every single day, we are very familiar with our phone, where we put our keys when we're not driving. Everything that we use on a regular basis is very familiar. And we should get just as comfortable with the gun that we could potentially be using to save our lives. Dry fire practice is what I'm talking about. Get your gun empty, make sure there's nothing in the chamber. Always keep any ammunition clear of where you're going to be practicing. Put your gun in the holster, wearing the same type of clothes that you would wear every single day. Same holster, same positions, and practice getting the clothes out of the way and drawing your gun with confidence.

RACHEL  13:00

Owning a gun does not automatically make you proficient with one, and I know that sounds really obvious. But I think it's probably one of the most overlooked things. So let's make sure that we know how to handle our guns safely. Let's make sure we know how to shoot them, that we're accurate, and that we can maintain them. I'll also say that shooting is a perishable skill. So if you've shot once and you did great and you got your permit continue to train. After my second pregnancy I started trying to get back into some of the competitions I used to do. And it's humbling. So train, train, train. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Let's do it. You can always improve.

STEPHANIE (translated from Spanish)  13:32

One thing everybody should know is that just because you buy a firearm doesn't mean you know how to use it. It doesn't mean you're already competent with it. Learn the basics. Go train, train, train. It doesn't always have to be at the range, dry fire exists too. Always train. Like I said, learn the basics. And learn the laws of your city.

Q9  DY9 or DY9Z? Which do you prefer, and why?  13:57 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  13:58

DY9 or DY9Z. Which do you prefer, and why?

JAKI  14:04

Putting the DY9 and the DY9Z side by side doesn't look like there may be a very big difference in them. The DY9 is a bigger grip. It is a much wider slide. And it is gonna be a little bit harder to conceal. The DY9Z, however, while holding the same 15 round capacity, is a much smaller package. It is way easier conceal, but it's not taking away at all any of your ability to grip hold of the gun. If you do have a hand that enjoys shooting both of them, but you wish the DY9Z was a tad bit bigger, it's not a problem. You can always just swap out the back straps. Between the two? My choice would definitely be the DY9Z. I love that it's optic ready and I can put a red dot directly mounted to it without using a plate system.

ANNA  14:56

And so the DY9Z I think is the perfect match for carrying. However, I do like the DY9 just for shooting out at the range. You could carry the DY9. It is a little bit bigger. I wear more form fitted clothing and so that's something that I need to consider. When I carry. And so that's why the smaller gun would be perfect for that. The DY9 is heavy in my hands, so it's easier to shoot. The DY9Z is smaller, so it's easier to carry, more concealed. And they just fit the bill.

STEPH  15:29

That's a hard one. Because I genuinely like both. I would say one is compact and one is larger. The DY9Z is smaller, which actually you know what I do have it here. Don't even wanna choose, but if I had to, have a preference, I would say the DY9Z. Just because compact it's something that I've carried since the beginning, and it gives you the flexibility to carry on body or off body. Versus the larger size that one definitely it's a little bit bigger to carry for myself in my waist. So I would choose the DY9Z. At the end of the day, it's all about what works for you.

Closing  16:22 ↗

DERYA (voiceover)  16:22

That's what they told us. We asked the questions instead of answering them for them — and these answers helped us at Derya as we design and develop firearms. Hearing it straight from women who actually carry, at different experience levels and with different priorities, made a difference. If you're a woman who carries, or if you're buying a gift for one, hopefully this helps you too. And if you have your own answer — what you look for, what you wish more people understood — we'd like to hear it. Thanks for watching.

Featuring Rachel @rachelbee333, Steph @stephcarriesdifferent, Jaki @thegatgirl, Anna (GB Guns · @gbguns) and Stephanie @teffy_cuadros. End of transcript.