• 1 in 4 women  experience severe physical violence, sexual violence,  or stalking by their partner
• 60.8% of female stalking victims reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner
• 23% of female college students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation
• And 1 in 5 women in the United States is raped during her lifetime 

Do I have your attention?  Hearing the politicians speak out every day, especially the female politicians that are advocating that law abiding citizens, including the women listed in the stats I just recited, should have our gun rights limited, regulated and in some cases removed is unbelievable. If you champion for women you MUST also champion for their right to bear arms. Period. 

Despite the media and politician's rhetoric asserting that “the average person … has basically no chance in their lifetime ever to use a gun in self-defense,” the CDC reported that studies routinely find that Americans use firearms in defense of themselves or others between 500,000 and 3 million times every year. It's amazing to hear that so many accounts of law-abiding Americans whose lives were saved because they were able to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Reports also show that over 200,000 times per year a women uses a gun to defend herself against sexual assault. These stories rarely make any type of noise in the media, if at all. If these women did not have the right to bear arms these over 200,000 incidences where women saved themselves from a sexual assault would now be included in much higher statistics than I stated earlier.  These politicians care more about their power and votes than they do about these 200,000 possible rapes and assaults. They don't care. If they did, they would never fight for any gun controls.

For example, last March In Chicago, a woman shot a man in self-defense after he began physically assaulting her, breaking her hand and covering her body in cuts and bruises. In Oregon this year. A man forced his way into his ex-girlfriend’s house and cornered her in her bedroom with her son. The woman, who had called 911 before to report the man for entering her home and threatening her, she fired her gun at him in fear for her life and her son's. The man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and was charged with assault and menacing. 

Unfortunately, because of the stats I cited earlier, not every women is fortunate enough to be able to protect herself and is raped, assaulted or even worse, killed. 

The new red flag laws being introduced in many states, new regulations on concealed carry permits and waiting periods are making it more difficult for law abiding citizens to protect themselves.  These new laws will never affect the criminal. Because criminals don’t care about the law, new or old. 

There was a story from 2015 about a NJ women, Carol Bowne. This woman had a restraining order against her very violent ex. She was so fearful that she installed security cameras at her home and applied for a gun permit so she could purchase a handgun for protection in April 2015. In NJ at this time it could take several months to get approved for your permit. This local police department and Sheriff were also known to routinely sit on firearm applications that they are supposed to rule on within 30 days. Carol Bowne visited the police station to check the status of her application in June of 2015, 2 days before her ex brutally stabbed her to death in her driveway as she exited her car. If Carol Bowne was able to exercise her God given right to protect herself against her known abuser and not jump through state red tape, she would have been able to protect herself from her murderer. Carol was only 39 years old. These regulations need to be repealed now.  Carol Bowne is just an example of how gun control fails time and again, not against the criminal but the 39 year old woman begging the state to ALLOW her to legally protect herself.  

In the stats I listed previously where 1 in 4 women will experience severe physical violence, sexual violence, or stalking by their partner. Why shouldn’t these women be able to protect themselves against these attackers?  The politicians are telling you through gun controls laws that these 1 in 4 women do not. Even these waiting periods put in place can have deadly consequences. The politicians want you to believe that these gun control measures and waiting periods will have little to no effect on the law abiding citizens. Don’t you think Carol Bowne would disagree? Don't you think her loved ones would disagree? 

As a women who has survived my own rape on my college campus over 20 years ago, where my resident adviser took my pepper spray away and provided me with a red whistle for self-defense, I DISAGREE.  That whistle did not save me for that man beating and raping me and that restraining order did not protect Carol Bowne from being murdered.  Why would criminals, rapists and murderers suddenly follow these new gun controls.  The answer is easy, They won't.  And it is up to us, the law abiding citizens to make sure that we vote in such a way that these proposed laws do not become anything more than campaign rhetoric. For all the women in the stats cited above, don't we owe them the chance to save their own lives by insuring their right to keep and bear arms?

Bee Jackson

Owner-Founder Carry Girl Gear

Tactical Fairies - Shooters, Bloggers, Entrepreneurs

 Hi, we are Gwendolyn and Pamela - two friends who share a passion for shooting, firearms and military events. We are from Austria, where gun's rights are much more restricted than in the US and our blog aims at dispersing some of the rather widespread prejudice against firearms. On our channels, we share our personal experience of tactical shooting courses, home defense, self-defense and first aid classes. 

Please follow our Instagram account @tactical_fairies if you want to see more about about our projects and ventures. 

I have always been drawn to weapons - my great-grandfather was a rifle inventor, so guns kind of run in my bloodline. After high school, I ventured on quite a different path though, spending many years in Asia, where I became a certified yoga instructor and taught workshops and private classes. When I finally returned to Austria I fell in love with an army officer and reconnected with the military lifestyle. I loved attending military events with him and developed a growing passion for firearms. Unfortunately, he decided to leave both the army and me, to pursue a consulting career in another country. Very disappointing to say the least. Another gun guy ambushed my heart - again I was ecstatic about the tactical breeze that he brought into my life and again he left the country - and me! (I sure know how to pick them...). After that break-up, however, I decided that enough was enough and that I wasn't going to depend on boyfriends anymore for a connection to the world of guns but was going to take matters into my very own hands. I decided that even though I was a tiny girl of all but 100 pounds I could still go for the things that I admired and make them part of my own life! 

I took shooting classes and signed up for the "Austrian Armed Forces Girls Camp" - where women spend 3 days in military barracks, following the curriculum and timetable of conscripts. I learned a bunch of amazing things and absolutely loved that camp. And- I was shocked to see that many of my friends have lots of prejudice against both the army and against firearms and were disapproving and unsupportive of my new undertakings. They had no actual contact with firearms, yet were biased and filled with anti-gun arguments.  

Resistance and opposing winds don't stop me, they fuel me, so I decided I was going to pursue my interests even more vigorously and I wasn't only going to talk to my friends about my experiences, but I was going to talk to the online world about my undertakings. I created an Instagram account and a Facebook page and started sharing my gun and military-related adventures. Support showed up shortly afterward - Pamela, who runs her own marketing agency and has been shooting guns herself for a while, joined me and built a website and youtube channel for our platform. We both feel it is important to portray safe and responsible gun handling publicly to counteract the anti-gun bias. Together we have become Team "Tactical Fairies" - petite, vegetarian women, who do yoga and - own guns. We are both vulnerable and fierce, playful and serious, airy-fairy and grounded, and we don’t shy away from wild adventures that our dainty body and tender heart might not seem to be cut out for at first glance.  

We go to the range regularly, we feature shooting courses, self-defense classes, firearms, etc on our blog and aim to empower other women to try out things beyond their comfort zone and learn about self-defense. Being able to protect yourself as a woman has become increasingly important and while going to the shooting range and Krav Maga classes is a lot of fun, it also has a very serious side to it. 

We firmly believe that gun's rights are women's rights and we want to do what we can to protect these rights. 

Throughout the courses, competitions and range days we have met absolutely fantastic people who are so supportive of us and of women in general picking up shooting & self-defense. We are really grateful for our teachers, for everything that we have learned and of course for our own stubborn determination :) 

We would be delighted if you want to check out and subscribe to our social media channels

Xoxo, 

Gwen and Pamela 

https://www.instagram.com/tactical_fairies/

https://www.facebook.com/tactical.fairies

https://tactical-fairies.at/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqFq8piTFR6AFxIhs2N20wA 

We are excited to introduce you to Cheryl Todd. Cheryl is a wife, a mom, and a grandma. She is the co-host of Gun Freedom Radio, co-owner of AZFirearms.com, a small mom & pops gun shop in AZ. Cheryl is also the AZ Delegate for The DC Project. She sits on several Boards including the Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association and the Arizona Citizens Defense League Foundation. While Cheryl Todd is indeed a Carry Girl, and has her Concealed Carry License, she considers herself foremost an Advocate for our Constitutional Rights and an Ambassador for the Firearms Community, and she speaks to the value of her 2nd Amendment Rights through the lens of self-protection and instilling those values in the generations to come. 

Carry Girl: Why you shoot or carry?

Cheryl: I carry because I am a fierce Mama-Bear who was born without fangs and claws, but rather, with the intellect to use tools and tactics of self-defense. I carry because danger walks among us, and uses the element of surprise to gain the upper hand. Therefore, I must be prepared to be my own First Responder, because I am the one who will be immediately responding to what is happening to me. And, I carry to instill in my daughter and granddaughter that we are strong and capable women who value our Constitutional and Civil Rights and exercise these Rights unencumbered, and as free American Citizens, who need no permission from anyone to do so.

 Carry Girl: What has led you to this point in your life? 

Cheryl: For most of my adult life I was out of touch with my Constitutional Rights and the importance of protecting and defending them. Not only with the way I interacted (or didn’t interact at all) with our elected officials, but also with the ways I voted. Once my husband, Danny, and I opened a gun store nearly 15 years ago, I became acutely aware of how politicians use talking points to vilify not only the guns themselves but also the people who own guns and most certainly those of us who sell firearms. 

We would hear utter nonsense being repeated like a metronome every night on the evening news, and in a very short amount of time we began to see our neighbors and friends begin to believe these politicians’ half-truths and outright lies. I found myself in a defensive posture more often than not when someone would happen to ask what my husband and I did for a living. I was constantly trying to un-ring the bell of misinformation over and over again. The good news is that I found that most people were genuinely hungry for the truth and would listen with open minds to what guns actually are (and are not), and why someone as “normal” as my husband and I are would be in the business of selling these “weapons.” That was when I realized that I needed to broaden my sphere of influence, and the idea for Gun Freedom Radio was born. Through the radio-show / podcast format I am able to reach people from all over the globe to help educate, engage and inform them about the rare and beautiful freedoms we have because of the Second Amendment.  

Carry Girl: How do you train?

Cheryl: While I am sure your question has to do with getting out on the shooting range and practicing with my firearms, I want to answer this question a little bit differently. As I mentioned earlier, I do own and carry firearms, and training with them is highly important, however I am foremost an advocate and an ambassador for those of us who value our rights. So, the way that I stay informed, educated, and proficient in those areas is by connecting with experts in their field. With our radio show I am able to interview people from all areas of expertise in the Firearm Industry, in the Constitutional Advocacy Communities, in Competitive Shooting, in Law Enforcement and Personal Protection Training, and in, yes, Politics. Also, as the AZ Delegate for The DC Project I connect with women from all across the United States to keep in touch with the individual concerns of the various cities, counties, and states across the nation. 

The DC Project was founded by Dianna Muller, a retired police officer, who served 22 years with the Tulsa Police Department, and is now the Captain of Team Benelli 3-Gun. The DC Project is 50 women, one from each state, who join together in Washington, DC each summer to spend four days meeting with members of Congress. The DC Project is a nonpartisan initiative to bring women and girls from each state to our Nation’s Capital to dispel common myths and garner support for gun rights. 

Carry Girl: What impact have guns had on your life?   

Cheryl: Guns have had an incredible and positive impact on my life. Because of the tremendously emotional and illogical push from some in this country to dis-arm law-abiding American Citizens I have been made aware in ways I otherwise would not have of the importance of the sacrifice of our Founding Fathers. Also the purpose and need of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the enumerated Amendments therein. By becoming connected to the unique and sometimes difficult past of our nation, I realized the part I play in passing along the baton of liberty and freedom to my daughter and granddaughter. Whatever I do or don’t do in my lifetime will have ripple effects into the future. And I choose to be on the side of those who fought, bled, starved and died to secure the Legacy of the Second Amendment which is the legal protection of our God-given rights to self-protection. 

This is a responsibility I take very seriously, but I might have missed it entirely had I not been in the business of selling the tools of self-defense that American citizens use to save lives 2.5 million times each year. And that women use 200,000 times each year to defend themselves from sexual assault. 

Isn’t it interesting that the Rights-Restrictors who seek to confuse American voters and disarm law-abiding American citizens are the very reason I had to wake up and speak up. I might have stayed disconnected and silent about my Rights, and therefore not have instilled these values in the next generations, had these Rights not been threatened. I believe there is truth in the statement, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone (or endangered). 

The encouraging news is that I am not alone or unique in these things. I have met thousands of other fellow Patriots that I like to call “Ordinary Warriors.” Men and women alike, who see themselves as part of the almost secret society of 2A Warriors. I even began using a hashtag and created a lapel pin to help connect these Patriots. The hashtag is #PolkaDotsAreMyCamo and is a nod to the millions of ordinary everyday warrior patriots, skilled and prepared to be their own First Responder and protect those around them.

To follow Cheryl Todd:

FB: Cheryl_Todd GFR: https://www.facebook.com/CherylToddAZF/

IGram: https://www.instagram.com/cheryltoddgfr/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GunFreedomRadio

-Rose, Hawaii

Developer & Writer

http://unearthedlifestyle.com 

@roseunearthed

I am a NRA firearms instructor and an instructor for the “Well Armed Women} in Southern California.

So the number one question I get asked all the time...Why? Why guns?

Well...

At a young age, I was attacked…

After my attack I felt ashamed, scared. I didn’t want to feel that way ever again,  So I decided I wanted to learn how to not only protect myself but as a mom protect my four children.  I shot my first gun at the age of 16. It was an AR-15. I was completely hooked!!!!! I got into hunting and I would shoot anything I could get my hands on.  Over the years, I shot more at local ranges, and learned a lot about hunting.

I love being outdoors but teaching others to shoot is my passion. I took some classes with a male instructor but did not feel comfortable. I felt almost intimidated. I knew a lot of women who wanted to shoot but were intimidated by men or just to even walk into a gun store because it’s a “man’s world” I decided I wanted to change that in my community. Times are changing!!! So I wanted to be the voice for those women who wanted to learn how to protect themselves and their families.

A few years ago, I headed to Arizona and took classes with Carrie Lightfoot, the founder of The Well Armed Women, at the amazing Gunsite Academy. I spent the weekend there with 13 other amazing women from all around the country. We had long hours in the classroom and on the range. We all supported each other and a beautiful bond grew within all of us. Since I have been back at home, the support from my community has been truly overwhelming. I am beyond thankful. Doing classes here in my community gives me the pride of knowing I am teaching other women like myself not to ever be a victim. The smiles, the confidence they build while on the range is absolutely amazing to see. I love teaching beginners because I know once they take any of my courses, they will be hooked!

The friendships and bonds I have created through this journey have been what makes what I do so enjoyable. Empowering other women, lifting each other instead of breaking or bashing each other is what’s it’s all about!! Teaching other moms who are terrified of firearms how to safely handle them is one of the best feelings. Knowing I’m giving them the knowledge to protect their loved ones is priceless ...overall the best feeling a mother can have is knowing she herself can protect her children and herself.

-Jackie, Southern California 

@packin_momma_society

It isn’t about what we have gone through, it’s about what we learn from those experiences. I grew up in a household full of firearms, and I was taught firearms safety at a young age by my dad. I also grew up in a household with a clinically depressed, alcoholic, possibly schizophrenic mother. As a child, fear and I were close friends. I was around 7 or so when the nightly rituals started. I would fall asleep only to wake up to a drunk mother standing over my bed smiling at me. She would say things like “I know where daddy keeps the guns, and I’ll kill him before he can hurt me.” “The devil sleeps next to you at night because you’re a bad child and have to be taught a lesson.” One thing that I will never forget hearing was “One day you will come home from school to see me laying on your bedroom floor with my wrists slit open to show you what real pain is like.” Eventually, she would leave, and I would muster up enough courage to sneak into my father’s room (they did not share a bedroom) to see if he was still alive. I was so scared to tell him about any of this because I didn’t want to make her angry. 

It got a lot worse from there. She would have bad nights, grab me, throw me into the back of her car, and drive 60mph through our neighborhood drunk and screaming. I used to jump out of the car at stop signs and hide in the trees because I didn’t want to die. I remember barely breathing behind the brush. I would watch her drive back and forth looking for me, taunting me from the window of the car. There were a lot of nights that I spent at our local park.. it is honestly a miracle that something worse didn’t happen to the kid alone outside in the dark.  

I broke a coffee pot once by accident and she chased me through the house with a cast iron pan. I hid in the bathroom and the only thing I could think to do was grab the top cover from the toilet to use as a weapon if she broke the door down. 

I moved out when I was 17 and ended up dating a guy for two years who would rape and emotionally abuse me. I had to testify in court alone to get a PFA order against him when I finally left.  

The point of all of this is to say that I have experienced evil. Not once in my life have I thought that taking guns away from people would stop evil. Shooting saved my life. It gave me a purpose, and it gave me control over my life for the first time. I will carry everywhere, and every day, because a long time ago I made a promise to myself that I will never allow myself to be in a terrible situation ever again. Gun rights are everyone’s rights. The right to self defense is everyone’s right. I would love to see a world where everyone had a way to protect themselves, I would love to see a world where innocent people aren’t taken advantage of.  

Today I speak openly in the firearms community about mental health, rape, and domestic violence. Every single thing that I have ever gone through will be worth it if I can help even one person. Fear is a choice, and Although we will never be able to eliminate evil, we sure as hell can be prepared to face it. 

-Genevieve, PA

@beyond.the.unknown

 I’ve recently had a baby and I have postpartum anxiety. I used to carry everywhere and now I can’t. I was at the mall one day with my baby and a friend and her baby when the mall went into a lockdown. Normally I wouldn’t be scared because I usually have my Glock on me. But that day was different; my anxiety won’t let me carry. There was an armed robbery across from the mall and the guy fled towards the mall, so the mall went into lockdown. I couldn’t believe I put myself my baby, and friend and her baby in this situation and I had nothing to protect us. I felt like I failed us all. From then on I decided I never wanted to do that to my child, I am his mother and it is my responsibility to protect him. Not mall security, not the police, not another armed citizen, but myself. I need to be that armed citizen for my baby, family and friends. Though I still have trouble with postpartum anxiety, I am trying my best to get over that fear and carry as often as my mind will allow me.

            I have taken Krav Maga, which is an Israeli self-defense class, for those times where I simply can’t carry. There are always going to be times when we legally can’t be armed, like a government building, the airport, a school etc… So I feel it is important to know other ways to defend yourself and family. Whether you carry pepper spray, a tactical pen, or take self-defense, I feel it is important to have those skills.

I carry for my family, friends, and myself.  I believe a woman should learn to protect herself and not have to rely on others to do so for her. If my husband isn’t around, it is my responsibility to protect myself and those around me. Though I live in a small town in Idaho with a low crime rate doesn’t mean we are completely safe, bad things can still happen in small towns. Now that I am a mother I feel a greater responsibility to protect my baby’s life I never want to be in a situation where I would think “if only I had my gun on me” because then it could be too late.

-Alyssa, Idaho

IG @armedalys