She's 'Armed & Fabulous': Meet 13-Yr-Old Shooting Star Katelyn Francis

Like most 13-yr-old girls, Katelyn (Katie) Francis has a Facebook page. However, unlike most 13-yr old girls, the young Miss Francis describes herself like this: "Katelyn is a 13 year old who enjoys competing in Multi Gun matches around the country."

Image: Facebook

It was on Facebook that we first spotted Katelyn in this video titled, "Fight Like A Girl. Watch This Little Girl Shoot Like A BOSS."

That short video showed Katie competing in a three-gun event. The first weapon used, also known as a "stage gun," is provided by the match and used by all of the competitors, was an Adaptive Combat Rifle or ACR. Katelyn then continues through the course using her Benelli 12 gauge shotgun and her Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol.

Image: NRA

Shooting is in the young lady's DNA. Her father, Sgt. First Class Chad Francis, happens to be the state marksmanship coordinator for the Missouri Army National Guard. Dad Chad has been teaching his daughter about guns and gun safety since she was five years old. Katie told the NRA, "Dad taught there's 10 gun safety rules. He made me say them over and over again. My dad's a real stickler about making me always be safe."

When she was 9-yrs-old, Katie started pestering her dad to take her hunting and shooting. Her mom was not exactly supportive of this request, but eventually relented and dad gave the young girl a .22. The next year, when she turned 10, Katie graduated to a 9mm pistol.

Father and daughter have both been shooting competitively since 2010.

Image: NRA

The NRA has also taken note of Katelyn's abilities and produced a video profile that hit the organization's website earlier this week: