About Me

I am also the author of 4 books, available on Amazon, and at many major outlets. I have been contributing writer for Combat Handgun Magazine and Women and Guns Magazine.

I was an instructor for many years, Recently retired.

Thank you for following along with me as this journey continues.

Safe Shooting!



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Thoughts, comments and insights for women who shoot and the men who love us!

Friday, July 29, 2016

Gun Free Zones

Gun Free Zones. Words that chill my heart, because we all know, in a Gun Free Zone, only
honest law abiding citizens don’t have guns. However, not having a firearm doesn’t make up
defenseless. I once told someone that in trained hands a knitting needle was an “Assault
Weapon”. Think about it, long, strong, pointy…but no, I’m not advocating that you carry knitting
needles everywhere you go. What I am suggesting is that you think about what you do have, or
could easily add, and practice how to use them.

Because if where I work I cannot carry my firearm to and from work. Hanging on the front of my
purse is an assortment of charms, they are fun, and express my personality. They also give me
an inconspicuous place to hang my SABRE Personal Alarm. These little noise makers couldn’t
be easier. Grab, yank and throw. Yep, grabbing then yanking disengages the pin which sets off
a loud noise. Throwing it makes it harder for an attacker to silence since they would have to
find it. To shut it off, simply reinsert the pin. Works on purses, backpacks, lanyards…don’t
have to worry about age and legal issues.


Inside my purse, in designated pockets, I have a quick open folding knife with a window break
on the end and a tactical flashlight. Both handy if you ever need them. On my keychain I have
pepper spray. I also have some basic empty hand skills learned from a variety of personal
trainers (I have a few limitations so I take private training whenever I can to work around them
and avoid slowing down a class or getting injured by a hyper millennial).

Recently, with all the nastiness in the world, I started thinking more about being out and
about…the mall, a theater, etc. Violence is everywhere and living in a concealed carry state we
are more likely to be attacked in a “gun free” zone. What to do. I did some research, watched a
great “The Best Defense” video and decided to look for a ballistic pad to fit in a backpack. Well,
turns out there are a lot of them out there. Some already incorporated into the backpack. I
opted for a level IIIA soft pad that slips into the laptop straps on most of my backpacks (the
tactical looking and the cute ones). It is 16”x12”, and weighs about 2 pounds, which is pretty
light. I found it on Amazon, and after reading all the reviews made my pick. Several people had
bought two, one to shoot up and one to use. Based on those reviews I opted to buy one and
save my pennies. But, from now on if you see me at the mall I will likely have a backpack
nonchalantly thrown over my shoulder (Sorry Michael Kors) instead of a purse. My charms will
be clipped to the pack, and my knife and light will be within easy access, but I will have an area
of cover, within my grasp should something happen. I hope I never need it, but it will be nice
knowing that I have a little extra protection.

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