No comment about the knowledge women might have about guns in the place/time of the songs, but "over here" many of the women were quite familiar with them. The women loaded while the men fired when there was lots of shootin' to be done, and most could grab a gun and shoot it if the wolves got after the livestock.

(I might have a different idea than some from tales of my great granny who trapped furs and teamed a mule wagon to make the money to prove out her homestead claim. She was single doin' it all until she proved (fully owned) the claim and the ol' fart next door proposed.)

John