No it does not. It just means you can use it and put ranks into it. 

And whips... a leather whip would probably be a Light Weapon (might require a Might of 3 though), but something heavier might be a Medium Weapon. 

And yea, that could be a rare Discovery thing. She wouldn't be able to do it right away, but she could discover the means to do it and set out to find the necessary materials and knowledge needed to perform those means.