Geezah
02-08-2005, 06:11 PM
It may surprise you, but hundreds of women in Nevada carry handguns with them wherever they go. Last year, 321 women were issued a concealed weapons permit, and in 2003, 219 women got their permits. But does taking a basic class and practicing at an indoor range prepare women to handle a real life dangerous confrontation?Crime Tracker 3's Nina Radetich (mailto:nradetich@kvbc.com)reports on what women with weapons need to know.
"I'm the queen of Stewart Street." Mabel Murray owns Trudi Furs on Stewart. She's one of the hundreds of women in our state with a concealed weapons permit. "I don't think just bad guys should have guns. I think good guys and good girls should have guns too." A few years ago, one of Murray's friends invited her to ladies night at American Shooter's. She's been carrying a gun ever since.
"I realized it's kind of dumb to have guns at the store if I don't know how to shoot them, so I thought I'd better learn how since I have quite a few around the store." But the guns aren't just in Murray's store. She also wears one in her bra. "It's just part of getting dressed. You put it on, it's in your bra and it's there." Always loaded and always ready. "It just takes ... that long."
But a woman needs more than just a gun and a concealed weapons permit to be prepared for an attack. "What you're trying to do is get your attacker off the regain, get to you're footing and get away." Paul Pistocco is a firearms instructor who specializes in teaching women how to survive a real life encounter. "We teach shooting on the move and shooting from the ground. That is something that's going to keep you alive if a real life situation should occur."
"The indoor range is a completely different environment than the outdoor range. Inside, there's not a whole lot of mobility. Out here, they learn how to shoot on the move, so women know how to react in real life situations." In this exercise, the attacker has a gun and is just five yards away. "Most attacks occur within seven yards." Murray lies on her back, as if she was just pushed down.
"Shoot with one hand so you can use the other hand to get up." Mabel gets off the ground and fires at the target. "Bad guys don't stand still for you. 'Hold still, I am going to shoot you.' That's not real. You have to learn how to shoot while you're moving." It's not an easy thing to learn, but Murray says, with some practice, she feels a lot more confident knowing that she's done all she can to protect herself.
"Whether its a good city or bad city, criminals are everywhere and if you are protected and ready, you have a better chance at surviving it." It's not that easy to get a concealed weapons permit. Metro requires you to be at least 21-years-old, and you have to attend at least eight hours of a firearms safety course and training. After the class, you have to be able to demonstrate competency with different types of guns. Metro also runs an extensive background check on each of the applicants.
Link (http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=2914352)
"I'm the queen of Stewart Street." Mabel Murray owns Trudi Furs on Stewart. She's one of the hundreds of women in our state with a concealed weapons permit. "I don't think just bad guys should have guns. I think good guys and good girls should have guns too." A few years ago, one of Murray's friends invited her to ladies night at American Shooter's. She's been carrying a gun ever since.
"I realized it's kind of dumb to have guns at the store if I don't know how to shoot them, so I thought I'd better learn how since I have quite a few around the store." But the guns aren't just in Murray's store. She also wears one in her bra. "It's just part of getting dressed. You put it on, it's in your bra and it's there." Always loaded and always ready. "It just takes ... that long."
But a woman needs more than just a gun and a concealed weapons permit to be prepared for an attack. "What you're trying to do is get your attacker off the regain, get to you're footing and get away." Paul Pistocco is a firearms instructor who specializes in teaching women how to survive a real life encounter. "We teach shooting on the move and shooting from the ground. That is something that's going to keep you alive if a real life situation should occur."
"The indoor range is a completely different environment than the outdoor range. Inside, there's not a whole lot of mobility. Out here, they learn how to shoot on the move, so women know how to react in real life situations." In this exercise, the attacker has a gun and is just five yards away. "Most attacks occur within seven yards." Murray lies on her back, as if she was just pushed down.
"Shoot with one hand so you can use the other hand to get up." Mabel gets off the ground and fires at the target. "Bad guys don't stand still for you. 'Hold still, I am going to shoot you.' That's not real. You have to learn how to shoot while you're moving." It's not an easy thing to learn, but Murray says, with some practice, she feels a lot more confident knowing that she's done all she can to protect herself.
"Whether its a good city or bad city, criminals are everywhere and if you are protected and ready, you have a better chance at surviving it." It's not that easy to get a concealed weapons permit. Metro requires you to be at least 21-years-old, and you have to attend at least eight hours of a firearms safety course and training. After the class, you have to be able to demonstrate competency with different types of guns. Metro also runs an extensive background check on each of the applicants.
Link (http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=2914352)