Packing heat: More women training to carry guns

EFFINGHAM - The National Rifle Association reports there are more than 250 million privately-owned firearms in the United States. The NRA also reports the number of guns typically rises by about 4.5 million every year.

According to a number of different studies, it is estimated that there are at least 15 million female gun owners in the U.S. Recent research also shows more and more of those gun owners are women which includes South Carolina. In South Carolina, the growth rate of gun ownership among women gets higher every year as does the number of women getting a Concealed Weapons Permit.

Many local law enforcement agencies sponsor gun safety training courses specifically geared toward women. That includes the Florence County Sheriff's Office. Lt. Jeff Johnson heads up the firearms training for Florence County. He says the desire for women to protect themselves is prompting more women to arm themselves. "You need to know the basic principles of the weapon, how it works, how the safety operates on it, how to load it, unload it. A little bit of cleaning in reference to the maintenance of the weapon."

Audrey Johnson of Effingham is a prime example of a woman who decided to get a gun for protection. She decided to go through training to get her Concealed Weapons Permit after an attempted carjacking. It happened nearly a year ago as Mrs. Johnson was driving home, like she normally did.

"I was driving down the road, actually going home about a mile before I got to the red light, I noticed there was a this car that just kept pulling up beside me and the guys in it were hollering, and screaming and carrying on, so I rolled up the windows on the truck and just kept going acting, ignoring them, not paying them any attention. And we got to the red light, stopped and next think I know they had jumped out of their vehicle and was trying to get the doors on the truck open. Of course the kids in the back of the truck were screaming and hollering and carrying on. I sat there for a few minutes. They started beating on the windows and beating on the windows, I looked both ways and nothing was coming so I ran the red light, I think I actually run over the poor dude's foot."

According to Lt. Johnson, it’s important for women to be comfortable using a gun, confident enough to use it, and to train on their weapon of choice. He suggests a 38 hammerless revolver for women and here's why. "They can access it without the actual hammer getting caught on anything."

Lt. Johnson says, "If you're gonna have a gun at least take the time to know how your gun works, where the safety is, how to load it, how to unload it. If you're not very gun savvy and you're a little hesitant to do so that's why we offer this training, so you can come out and learn those things, and you definitely need to shoot it."

As for Mrs. Johnson, if a crisis situation occurs again she says she's ready. "I don't think guns in the answer to everything, but I think it it's a life-death situation, you've took the class and you've got the knowledge to use it and I think you'd have a better chance of protecting yourself and men are a lot stronger than women and I think advantage wise that's the only advantage a woman has."

Not everyone thinks guns are the answer when it comes to protecting yourself. The Million Mom March organization advocates gun control. There is no longer a chapter in South Carolina. However, when it did exist Evelyn Dolven of Charleston was the spokesperson. She says her interest is more in seeing that government agencies have legislation or ordinances in place to monitor who can get their hands on guns. She says she really isn't concerned if women have guns. Her concern is that sellers, whether it be at gun shows, or an individual, make sure proper background checks are done on people before they sale the guns. She tells me she is for sensible gun ordinances for protection.

The Florence County Sheriff's Office Training Division conducts Women's Firearms Training, Couples Firearms Training, and the Concealed Weapons Course.

The Women's Firearms training is free of charge. It includes weapons safety, familiarization and firing of the handgun.

The Couples Firearms Training is also free of charge. It also includes weapons safety, familiarization and firing of the handgun.

The Concealed Weapons Course cost $65.00 per person. Sled charges $50.00 to issue the permit. If you plan to attend this course you must bring your weapon with 50 rounds of ammunition.

If you would like more information on these courses, just contact Lt. Jeff Johnson or Sgt. Shane Prince with the Florence County Sheriff's Office at 843-413-1291.