Should a woman carry a gun for protection?

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-03212008-1506750.html

Should a woman carry a gun for protection?

Half of Steve Rementer's students at the shooting range are women these

days. In fact, he has designed his course around teaching women how to shoot

firearms in self-defense.

"If a woman can protect herself, it's the first line of defense. She is 30

to 40 percent more likely to be attacked than a man," said Rementer, a

police firearms instructor at Pistol People, a shooting range in Bensalem,

and a Philadelphia police officer for 30 years. He said he's met many women

who have been raped and attacked.

"Women are better students than men. They are more focused, and they don't

want to be victimized. Every woman I could teach, I would."

The National Sporting Goods Association reported in 2006 that 50 percent

more women are now target shooting. The association attributed rising gun

ownership in part to self-defense.

The National Rifle Association has several women's programs, including

teaching women how to shoot.

Web sites selling defense gear to women have been popping up.

Womenonguard.com sells tasers, stun guns and pepper spray.

Three women at southern university campuses were slain within one week

recently.

The body of Lauren Burk, 18, an Auburn University student, was found five

miles from the campus. Eve Marie Carson, a 22-year-old attending the

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, was shot and killed. And Katharine

Wood, 24, a senior at the University of Arkansas, was shot dead in her

off-campus apartment.

Last April, 32 people at Virginia Tech were murdered by a mentally unstable

gunman.

A failed 2006 bill would have allowed students who have a concealed weapon

permit to carry firearms anywhere on a Virginia campus.

In general, though, violent crime has plummeted. Research at the Bureau of

Justice Statistics shows that from 1973 to 2005, violent crime against men

dropped 62 percent. It declined 47 percent for women. Violent crime has

declined since 1993.

Not that the numbers aren't still high. The bureau's research shows that in

2005 alone, 5.2 million crimes of violence were committed in this country.

In Bucks County, more people are getting gun permits. In 2006, 4,874 gun

permits were issued. The number jumped to 5,392 in 2007, according to the

sheriff's office. In the first two months of this year, the county issued

nearly 1,000 permits.

While Sheriff Edward J. Donnelly did not have gender statistics, he said the

percentage of gun permits issued to women probably has stayed at about 10

percent to 11 percent for years.

People interviewed in Lower Bucks expressed differing opinions about gun

permits for women.

Janisa Lovelace, a student at the Bucks County Community College, agrees

with Rementer.

"If women are targeted, a gun is probably the safest way to scare a

stranger," she said.

Her classmate William Miller of Levittown said he worries when his

girlfriend goes to Philadelphia alone.

"I recently told her to take a can of Mace into the city. It's dangerous,"

he said.

Some said that people would face less risk if strangers think they may be

carrying lethal weapons.

"We have the right to bear arms by the Constitution," said John Chester of

Trenton. "Law-abiding citizens are sane enough to use them just for

self-defense, as opposed to criminals. Law enforcement can't be everywhere.

You need the ability to fight back."

However, Susan Perry, who was visiting Yardley from New Jersey, said she is

against women carrying guns.

"They should bring Mace, or anything they can use to protect themselves."

Her husband said even a knife would be better than carrying a gun.

"And never walk alone. Take a defensive action course," he said.

Some agreed avoiding risk is best.

"There's safety in numbers," said Lucy Sanderson of Falls. "I'm not sure if

a woman should be carrying a gun. And education is the key - how to defend

yourself besides using a weapon."

She liked a recent citizens' police academy workshop in Bristol Township,

which taught people ways to avoid an attack. Like checking the back seat of

your car before you climb in and not bringing your pocketbook into a mall

during the holiday shopping rush.

Brian Buchanan of Bristol Township agreed.

"When someone has a weapon, it's too risky. I'm not in favor of people

arming themselves. That's something for law enforcement," he said. As the

brother of five sisters and uncle to nieces, Buchanan was concerned.

"But the best way is not to attack a violent criminal. We should have more

security patrolling the streets," he said.

Mary Morse, a professor of women's studies and English at Rider University

in Lawrenceville, N.J., said she's thought about it a lot. But she'd never

buy a gun to defend herself, said the Morrisville resident.

"I feel the same about Tasers. Pepper spray is the furthest I'll go. I've

discussed it with my students, though I'm not sure they would all agree."

Her husband, Steve Morse, thinks the same way.

"If everyone's carrying a gun, more people could get shot in quarrels, in

bars."