Women taking lessons on using guns

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - The police department here armed 50 women this week and Chief Tom Long gave them this frank advice:

"We're not trying to tell anyone to violate the law," Long said. "But we have to stress that personal safety should be everyone's primary goal."

The class, devoted to handguns, drew an overflow crowd. Capt. Phil Cox said about 100 women were turned away because there wasn't enough room.

At the session, Long and Cox explained different types of handguns, showed how to load them and demonstrated how to shoot them, including a lesson on recoil.

Recoil is the kickback of a gun after it's fired. Long told the students to lock their wrists and elbows to direct the recoil through their arms to their bodies. Controlling recoil is particularly important in self-defense shooting, Long said, because one shot is usually not enough.

Linda Henderson, 62, said she knows a little about guns, but wants to conquer her fear. "I've been shown several times how to use them, but I'm still scared of them," she said. "I think I'll get more out of this class than my husband and my son showing me."

Betty Bigelow, 57, was accompanied by her daughter, Kelley, 21. "We thought it would be good to know how to defend ourselves," Betty said. "We drive back and forth to Memphis a lot."

Kelley Bigelow said she wants to learn how to use a gun so she'll feel comfortable having one.

"There's this overconfidence in just having a gun," she said. "You feel safe having it, but if you don't know how to use it, you can get hurt."

And even though knowing how to use a gun is a good defense, Long said there's a better one.

"The first thing, the best thing, is don't put yourself in a situation where you need a gun," Long said.

(Contact Jennifer Biggs of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., at http://www.gomemphis.com.)

It's a hell of a lot better than before, nothing, which a couple of organazations that claimed to be pro-2a wanted, nothing.

Selling your principles is NOT victory. No Rights Anymore didn't stand up and fight early in the 20th century when Americas' 2nd Amendment was gutted. They have worked hand in hand with gun grabbers to sell out America. Your traitor organization has also embraced "operation exile" an assinine program that places a mandatory 5 year additional sentence for use of a firearm in a felony. Basically it says to scumbags, "Hey, if you kidnap, rape and gut a 10 year old girl like a fish when you're done with her, we'll give you a five year SHORTER sentence for not using a gun."
It atkes the emphasis off of the crime and puts it on the weapon (an inanimate object), which is what sarah brady and comrades want.

First, No Rights Anymore went out of business in 1977. The Cincinnati revolt.

We didn't sell jacksquat in Michigan. When the going got tough on getting right to carry passed here. What did GOA do? They sided with Brady. They rather would have no carry, which is what we had outside of 4 or 5 counties, than have conceal carry. They actively fought us. Not only that, they were caught lying as well. They said they were working on it with David Jaye. They wern't. I know who worked in Jaye's office. They have no credibility, and aren't worth a bucket of warm spit.

The NRA went to bat for us and helped us. GOA didn't. GOA is opposed to right to carry. They backed no carry.

And yes, I'm opposed to project exile. I don't agree 100% with the NRA, but when the going gets tuff, NRA comes through. GOA doesn't.

"It's better to be judged by 12 than carried by six."

Amen, Mercuria. This seems a good spot to draw attention to a great self-defense resource here in Massachusetts: AWARE.

AWARE -- an acronym for "Arming Women Against Rape and Endangerment" -- is the premier educational source for firearms and personal self-defense training in Massachusetts (JMHO). Its courses of instruction are recognized by the state for firearms licensing purposes, and also by the NRA for its firearms-instructor certification requirements.

Although AWARE is primarily pitched to "skilling" women in self-defense techniques, its courses are open to everyone. It provides a curriculum that runs the gamut: You'll find regularly scheduled courses in mace training, firearms usage and safety, handgun retention, the projection of just force, hunting skills, personal hand-to-hand self-defense training, and NRA instructor certification training.

They're a great bunch of professionals, dedicated to our system of ordered liberty, and devoted to training citizens in the skillful and safe exercise of their RKBA. All courses are moderately priced, and the value delivered is excellent. (These were the guys that helped me to determine the fact that I'm "cross-dominant" in the vision department for shooting purposes. :^) That was worth the 50 bucks to me right there.)

Girlfriend (or boyfriend as the case may be), if you live in Massachusetts and want to get hip to self-defense, check out AWARE at the above link.

Thanks for the post, Mercuria. best -- bb.

On second thought, no, I won't ignore that you called my father a failure. How very offensive. You have no idea who my father is or what he stands for, other than from what you read in a couple lines of a Free Republic post.

Would you like to know a little about the man you so carelessly labeled? My father was raised on a farm in the 40s, in Lancaster County PA, where he and his 4 brothers and sister really didn't have much of anything, but it was a Christian home with good values, and he managed to grow up quite well. He served in the army, put himself through school, and has kept the same job for about 35 years.

He raised 4 kids of his own, made enough so my mother didn't have to go to work, taught us the same Christian morals he grew up with, kept us in church and in sports and out of trouble. He taught both my brothers how to hunt, and still provides us all with venison every year. And even if I didn't want to learn to shoot as a kid (I did briefly entertain the idea when I was about 11), I was taught a very healthy respect for his guns, and none of us ever even thought about handling them without his permission and supervision.

As an adult my dad and I have become good friends and have great talks. We share the same conservative political leanings and I have found that the older I get, the more he makes sense. He will contribute to any conservative or Christian cause when he feels led. He is a wonderful grandfather, and much to my husband's annoyance at times, is always checking my oil or sharpening our knives.

He stops to change tires for strangers. He's always the first to volunteer to help someone move, fix a roof, mow a lawn, paint a kitchen, even build a house. He's the first to arrive at a church function to help set up and usually the last to leave, folding chairs when most everyone else has gone.

He was a softball player in local leagues for decades, always a gentleman on the field, winning MVP and sportsmanship trophies.

He has always been faithful to my mother. He is practical to a fault, but indulges her when she least expects it. He does not believe in credit cards and will only use one to purchase what he can pay for within that same month. He is meticulous about his care of tools and machinery, and is the neatest man I have ever met.

My father loves God and his family. He has taught me things the value of which I am still at 33 only beginning to realize, and I know if I ever need him, he will be there as fast as he can. If I can only do half as much for my kids as my family has done for me, I'll consider myself in pretty good shape.

A failure? Hardly. The only redeeming thing about your completely unfounded comment is the fact that I was forced to remind myself what a success he really is with what really matters. I have no doubt that when he stands before the Lord someday, my father will hear a resounding "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

If only more children could be so blessed.

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