TexasCHLforum.com

http://web.dailytimes.com/story.lasso?e ... 85806ba981

"Targeting women

By Aurora Meyer
The Daily Times

Published June 2, 2006

Editor’s note: This is the second article in a two-part series on self defense.

For some women, non-lethal methods of self defense — such as using their keys as a weapon and prescribed moves to escape an assailant — just aren’t enough.

They’re looking for the ability to easily stop an attacker in his tracks.

In Texas, that can mean applying for a Concealed Handgun License from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

One local Realtor said getting her CHL has made her feel less helpless.

“I’ll probably never use it, but it’s nice knowing I have it,� said Carmen Reno, a Realtor with Sherron Properties. “I just like to make sure it’s there.�

As a Realtor, Reno often visits remote properties with people she does not know. That led her son, Travis, to urge her to get the license.

“There are times when you’re out in the middle of nowhere, and nobody could hear you scream,� she said.

Certified CHL class instructor Keith Lamb said most people who take his class want to carry the gun in the glove compartment of the car.

Reno’s license allows her to keep her “ladies pistol� near as she goes to look at houses.

Once, when previewing a vacant house in a remote location, Reno unlocked the front door and heard four or five foot steps and then the backdoor slam. Motivated to check out the house for the buyers, she said she was torn between staying or leaving.

“I was scared to death,� Reno said. “That memory had a lot to do with me getting a pistol.�

Reno said sometimes her biggest concern when showing acreage or houses isn’t always a person, but wild hogs or other animals, which also make the pistol a comforting thing to have.

“For personal protection, you want something that will stop the individual, and you want it to stop him within two shots,� said Lamb. “You never shoot just once, you always shoot at least two or three times.�

He emphasized, though, that deadly force should always be the absolute last resort.

“Deadly force implies that you have fired the gun,� Lamb said.

Simply showing someone the firearm because you feel threatened can keep the individual from following through with his original intentions, he said.

In 2005, about a fourth of all CHL applicants were women, and according to DPS, that number grows every year.

“I just feel that every God-fearing, law-abiding citizen ought to be carrying a handgun, that’s Lamb-ology,� Lamb said. “Especially women because of their vulnerability. I realize there are women out there who are first-class black belt karate experts and could kill some guy before he even gets his gun out, but most women aren’t.�

Lamb certifies close to 40 people a year for either their first CHL or to renew a license.

Women make up about 30 percent his classes and most take his class already owning a gun. Women who take Lamb’s class tend to prefer revolvers to semi-automatic handguns because they’re easier to load and handle, but if they take the qualifying test with a semi-automatic, then they can chose to carry either. However, those who take the test with a revolver are permitted to carry only a revolver.

Reno took the test with a semi-automatic after some practice with the help of her son. They used leftover Christmas poinsettia paper plates and shot out the leaves.

Before a license can be granted, the applicant must go through an anger management section that teaches non-violent dispute resolution.

“You can remove your weapon if you see yourself threatened, a third person is threatened or to prevent aggravated kidnapping, sexual assault, aggravated robbery or theft during the night time,� Lamb said.

The time of day can make the difference in other situations.

“Daytime if a guy is running away with your TV, you can’t shoot him. But at night, you don’t know if he’s armed,� Lamb explained.

Reno, like most gun owners, said she knows accidents can happen, and safety must be first and foremost. Her exposure to handguns began at an early age because her father was on a military pistol marksmanship team.

“I grew up having great respect (for guns), particularly for pistols,� she said.

Most people who have aversions to firearms have that aversion because they’ve never been exposed to proper use.

“There may be someone out there who has lost a relative to an accidental shooting, but we lose people all the time to accidental auto accidents and we don’t quit driving,� Lamb said. "