The Constitution Party of Tennessee

Every year, according to the Bureau of Justice, an agency of the Department of Justice, five million women are subjected to violent crimes including rape, beatings, and murder.

I’m not including sexual harassment or disputes between spouses leading to the police being called, although those are bad enough. I’m talking about violent, felonious, criminal assault resulting in death or life-changing injury.

Richard Maybury, in his publication Early Warning Report and his article “Stop the War on Women,” lists the rate of violent crime on women at 17 per 1,000 per year.

“Do the math,” he says. “In 50 years of adulthood, a woman’s probability of being attacked is 85%. That’s on average. Some women are never hurt and others suffer repeatedly.” Mr. Maybury bases his conclusions on Bureau of Justice statistics for reported crimes. He wonders if the true numbers aren’t closer to 100% since most sex crimes are kept secret.

Are you defenseless against the threat of violent criminal assault? If so, you are not alone, because many women I talk to have bought into the argument that if guns are just confiscated, we will all be safer. The more helpless we become, the safer we all are. But unfortunately the criminals are not accepting this argument and as a result, they are winning.

Perhaps because of embarrassment or a desire to put the trauma behind them, quite often women do not talk about violent assault, especially sexual assault, not even to their husbands, and as a result the numbers go under-reported.

Not that we don’t have enough criminals to prey on women now, but every day the failing economy creates new ones. In cities like Detroit, for example, manufacturing cars has been replaced by manufacturing methamphetamine. The unemployment rate among 18 to 25-year-olds is sky-rocketing and sweeping away the American dream for millions of young people who are often left with violent crime as a fall-back career choice.

The police in most communities do a fine job. For the most part they are dedicated officers who risk their lives for us each day, but they are an after-the-fact force. I believe the old saying is “when every second counts, the police will be there in minutes.” They try to protect us, but often they are left to clean up the mess.

What then is the answer for American women?

Refuse to be a victim and instead take personal responsibility for yourself and your loved ones. Always comply with your state’s laws and of course the laws of the municipality you live in, but in compliance with the law, get a gun and arm yourself.

Women tell me quite often that they know nothing about guns and are afraid of them, and that they are afraid the attacker would take the gun and use it on them. That fear can be easily conquered with training from a qualified instructor.

Here in the Shelby County area of Tennessee where I live, I can say without reservation that the best instruction is found at Range USA. They have highly qualified instructors for both men and women. If you would feel more comfortable with a female instructor, Range USA has them. They will assist you in the selection and purchase of a concealed carry gun. This is an open, friendly place that is welcoming to women – not the grimy, chauvinistic setting you might imagine from the movies you may have seen.

Anyone must practice with a gun on a regular basis to be proficient in using it. Hitting what you aim at is crucially important, but so is hearing the noise a gun makes when fired and getting used to that sound so that you are not jumpy when you fire it. Practice gives you a course of action to take when you are attacked and it tends to make you more safety and security-conscious.

Practice until the gun becomes almost an extension of your hand, and you can tell if it’s loaded just by its weight, and no one will ever take it away from you. The good people at Range USA or another training center you choose should go over all that with you.

Once you have a concealed carry permit, you should talk to a lawyer who is experienced in cases involving deadly force self-defense. Interview that lawyer and when you find the right one, carry that lawyer’s card in your purse so that if that terrible moment comes when you have to defend yourself with a deadly weapon, you can give your lawyer a call right after you call 911. If you need a referral call my law office and I will recommend a couple of lawyers to you.

When you have your permit and have talked to a lawyer, you should consider getting a handbag that is just like any other purse, except with a quick opening slot for your gun. You can talk to your instructor about carry options and where you should keep the gun for home defense.

You might even find that you come to enjoy shooting and that you have developed a new hobby.

Refuse to be a defenseless victim and refuse to let your children become defenseless victims. Take personal responsibility for your own defense and do it right now.

- Darrell Castle