Firearm training [for women] - good or bad idea? (Wesson: crime, school)

[jacksonian]

It seems that women are often the targets of criminals, especially when the crime is robbery and/or rape. Also, more often than not, the criminals are male and use their strength advantage to prey on helpless women.

Just last night, a researcher at JSU was walking to her car on campus when she was mugged by two men and then shot in the back of the head twice, then left to die. By some miracle, Andrea Michalkova Scott of New Hebron, is still alive, yet she is in ICU at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. All of this occurred over the mere $5 in cash that she had in her purse.

This story has left me thinking - if we can not predict the future and we can not count on police presence 100% of the time, then how are women expected to protect themselves? Since the majority of society is composed of law-abiding citizens, I personally believe that everyone should be trained to operate and maintain a firearm. I'm not talking about shotgun-toting vigilantes, but small-to-medium handguns that if nothing else serve as a deterrent. I especially feel that women should possess a firearm in hope that fewer will become victims of criminally-prone individuals. I would think that federal and state agencies would be willing to support a firearm training class that would promote safety and effectiveness.

What do you think?

[lifelongMOgal]

Mindset is everything. A woman, like a man, must have the mindset to use the firearm against a potential attacker. Without the proper mindset and training, a firearm is as much a liability as a tool.

I know of no federal agencies that would be willing to support firearms training for "civilians".

There may be some "state" agencies, such as through Fish & Game, that endorse, promote, or offer firearms training for women through programs such as BOW (Becoming an Outdoor Woman). In my state the Department of Conservation regularly offers "introduction to firearms" classes for women and youth.

There are plenty of private instructors as well as "First Shots" through the National Shooting Sports Foundation or a miriad of NRA basic firearms courses, that are offered to the general public including courses that are designed for "women only".

"Babes with Bullets" is a program sponsored by Smith & Wesson, with the cooperation of Kay Miculik (Sp?) Clark and other female shooters from Team S&W.

As for the remarks about "shotgun toting vigilantes" and "small to medium sized handguns", well, those are just silly. A woman should employ that firearm with which she is most comfortable and can shoot well the most consistantly, regardless of caliber or frame size. Mindset training is, IMO, necessary for most women as we are conditioned to "trust" and to nurture rather than take life.

Was this a general question or are you looking specifically for courses for women you know?

I think firearms training is a good idea for women who are willing to take the responsibility and have the proper mindset. I would say the same about men. However, some people, regardless of gender, are idiots and should not be encouraged to take on responsibilities they cannot handle, IMO. Daily CCW is a responsibility not to be taken lightly.

[Robert_J]

Firearm training would have done no good in this situation due to state law 45-9-101 section 13 - link which reads:

No license issued pursuant to this section shall authorize any person to carry a concealed pistol or revolver into .... any junior college, community college, college or university facility unless for the purpose of participating in any authorized firearms-related activity;

Shortened for easier reading.

This woman was a "victim" of one of the worst types of gun control - a gun free zone. The thugs in this case probably haven't read up on the laws of where you can and can't carry and if they had, they probably wouldn't care. Law abiding citizens on the other hand don't want to break the rules due to the consequences. Thugs don't care about consequences or they would be in another line of work.

Also women don't want to attend training with men. I'm signed up for this class (http://www.rangeusa.com/Training/RangeUSAUniversity/StreetSurvivalSchool/StreetHandgunLevelI/tabid/64/Default.aspx - broken link) in April. My wife has nothing to do that day and money isn't an issue. She flat out told me that she didn't want to be the only girl in the class. Another local range has a women's only class with women teaching it - Range Master.

I'm totally against the government teaching these types of classes to the general public. That raises way too many issues with the anti-gun crowd. If you want to take the class, pay your money and take it. But find a good one which will not be strictly about guns but about situational awareness, conflict diffusion and when everything else fails, then the proper methods to escalate the situation to deadly force. As lifelongMOgal stated, there are a lot of sponsored programs that offer free and cheap classes as well. All else fails, watch The Best Defense on the Outdoor Channel. Michael Bane and Rob Pinkus do a great job with the tactics I mentioned above.

[Scotslass]

I think it would be a good idea and I would certainly take part. As a woman myself I believe women are more vulnerable these days to attacks etc.