Tennessee women...

dwarven1

Lonely Mountain Arms
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Are getting carry permits at an ever increasing pace. Some interesting comments at the original post, too.

More Tennessee women carry guns
Experts cite crime fears, empowerment as reasons

By CHRISTIAN BOTTORFF
Staff Writer

For years, Nashville real estate agent Kim Hoard considered toting a gun for her safety at work and while traveling alone with her two children, ages 7 and 10.

She recently took action when she started getting harassing telephone calls from a man who saw her photo in an advertisement.


Hoard is now enrolled in a gun safety class that starts this month, and she is planning to obtain a permit so she can carry around a .38-caliber revolver that is now collecting dust at home.

"I have strangers in my car every day," Hoard said. "I meet strangers in empty houses all day long. For me, it seems like the logical step to protect myself."

Hoard is one of a growing number of women in Tennessee who have obtained handgun carry permits in Tennessee the past two years.

Last year, 9,921 women received permits to carry handguns in Tennessee — a record number. That was almost 500 more than in 2005, and about 80 percent more than in 2004, a year that ended a decline in such permits.

Permits are issued after completion of a handgun safety course, and after background checks and a fingerprint analysis by local, state and federal authorities.

Crime fears are factor

Officials from the Tennessee Department of Safety say it is not clear why women have signed up to carry handguns at such an increased rate the past two years. Before 1996, local sheriffs' offices issued the permits.

But gun experts, such as Barbara Oonk of Nashville, say that women are increasingly exercising their gun ownership rights in light of concerns about crime.

"Why should we not have something to protect ourselves?" said Oonk, the Tennessee representative for the Second Amendment Sisters, a national organization promoting female gun ownership. "Why should we let someone else have their way, when you could protect yourself?

"There is so much crime going on, and it is proven that states that have carry laws see less crime. If everybody is carrying, there would be less crime."

David Nash, the chief handgun instructor at the Shepherd School Inc. in Nashville, said that his classes are frequently filling up with women like Hoard, who will soon be one of his students.

"A lot of it is personal empowerment, as women want to feel in control of their own lives," Nash said. "Some of it is a personal situation where they might be living alone and want a handgun at their house to feel safe."

It is also increasingly common for couples to sign up together for gun safety classes, Nash said.

It is no surprise to 32-year-old Lila Walker that so many women are choosing to carry handguns.

"It seems that with the surge of single women in their 30s now who maybe don't have that male role in their life — we're facedwith the fact that we have to accept responsibility for our safety in maybe some nasty situations," Walker said.

Walker, a disc jockey for a country radio station in Chattanooga, obtained the handgun carry permit when she was 26. Since then, she heads to the gun range about once every four to six months to improve her shooting and gun handling skills. She carries her gun in her holster in the small of her back.

"Just as I would not go without a hammer in my toolbox at home — it's just a way of life for me," said Walker, who grew up with family members who taught her about gun safety.

Women are 'more aware'

Hoard said she also didn't find it surprising to find out that women are bearing arms.

"I think women are becoming more aware," Hoard said. "They're becoming more independent in having to protect themselves. I think personally, we're seeing more on the news about personal attacks. Whether be home invasions, robberies … the increase in crime has a lot to do with it.

"We hear about it every day."

Women often opt for lighter guns, such as a .38-caliber or .357-caliber, Oonk said. And the way women carry them is based on their personal preference, she said.

Tennessee gun laws permit gun owners to carry their guns out in the open.

Often, however, women use special concealment purses that look like typical purses, but give easy access to the weapons through a special side pocket.

Others use holsters that are form-fitting and can fit close under their clothing at the waistline, Oonk said.

Oonk uses a special concealment purse and a holster, she said. But sometimes, when she is in an area known for crime problems, she wears her .38-caliber handgun out in the open in a holster so everyone can see.

"When I go into a place like that by myself, it's not a bad idea to let people know not to mess with me," Oonk said. "I've just got to keep my eyes open 360 degrees all the time, and I've got to be aware of what's going on."
 
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