The firearms industry has no shortage of new handguns. Every year brings another wave of pistols promising better ergonomics, greater capacity, improved triggers, optics compatibility, and the latest features shooters have come to expect. Occasionally, a firearm manages to bring those elements together in a way that deserves a closer look. For 2026, that firearm is the Derya DY9Z, named the Gun Owners of America’s, “Empowered 2A Gun of the Year.”
For those not familiar with Empowered 2A, it is an initiative of the GOA focused on education, training, responsible firearm ownership, and empowering women to take an active role in their own safety. That makes the DY9Z’s selection especially significant.This isn’t simply about which pistol has the longest feature list. It’s about whether those features translate into something women can comfortably use.
A defensive firearm may spend one day concealed beneath clothing and the next on the range during a training class. It may also serve as someone’s primary home-defense firearm, especially when it’s their first firearm. The DY9Z was built with that reality in mind.
At its core, the DY9Z is a compact, striker-fired 9mm designed to bridge the gap between everyday carry and full-featured performance. With a 15+1 capacity, the pistol provides substantial ammunition capacity while keeping dimensions proper for concealed carry. That balance matters, particularly for women searching for one handgun capable of filling several roles.
Its slide comes optics-ready from the factory, giving shooters the ability to add a compatible pistol-mounted red-dot sight without immediately sending a brand-new handgun off for machining. The pistol also incorporates an accessory rail for those who choose to mount a weapon light or other compatible equipment.
One of the most overlooked aspects of choosing a defensive handgun is also one of the simplest: does it fit the shooter? Hand size, grip strength, finger length, and shooting experience can dramatically change how a handgun feels and performs in someone’s hands. For women, being handed a firearm designed around someone else’s size and strength has historically been an unnecessary barrier to learning. The answer isn’t necessarily making firearms smaller or marketing them differently. It’s building firearms that are adaptable and intuitive for a wider range of shooters. The DY9Z takes that approach.
Its grip geometry is intended to provide solid control without creating unnecessary bulk, while a reversible magazine release accommodates both right- and left-handed users. The pistol’s flat-faced trigger is another notable feature, providing a defined break and positive reset designed to help shooters achieve consistent trigger manipulation.
Derya also deviated from the industry’s traditional approach to firearm finishes. Black handguns aren’t going anywhere, but gun owners increasingly expect the same ability to personalize their equipment that exists in virtually every other consumer market. The DY9Z is available in more than 10 color combinations, including distinctive options such as Midnight Bronze and Black Cherry, which is the color choice of the Empowered 2A gun of the year.
Gun owners, especially women, have spent years watching manufacturers try to reach them by simply making products smaller and pink. Today’s female firearms market is far more sophisticated than that.
Women want quality.
They want reliability.
They want options.
They want equipment designed around capability rather than stereotypes.
That’s ultimately what makes the Empowered 2A recognition noteworthy. The story isn’t only about a handgun; it’s about the changing face of American firearm ownership. As women continue to become an increasingly visible part of the firearms community, they are pursuing concealed carry, defensive training, competitive shooting, hunting, and professional firearms instruction. Many are buying firearms for one fundamental reason: they have decided to take greater responsibility for their own safety. That decision deserves equipment capable of growing alongside them.
A first firearm shouldn’t necessarily be a firearm someone eventually “graduates” from. Ideally, it should be something that stays useful as skills develop from the first fundamentals class through more advanced defensive training. The DY9Z’s combination of capacity, optics compatibility, ergonomics, accessory support, and compact dimensions makes it a strong example of that philosophy. Handguns are personal. Before buying one for defensive use, shooters should handle different models, shoot them if they have the opportunity, and evaluate how well they can safely manipulate the controls and manage the firearm.
In Derya’s case, the award the company’s received is a testament to a manufacturer that is paying attention to where the firearms community is headed. The DY9Z wasn’t recognized because women need a different standard, it was recognized because today’s gun owners deserve a higher one, and that’s a standard worth celebrating.
Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.
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