We'd like to see women more involved in shooting sports. We believe that more can be brought into the shooting sports by connecting with other women.We intend to:

• Promote the involvement of women in responsible firearms ownership and use
• Develop resources and curriculum for involvement of women in responsible firearms usage
• Make women aware of all of the resources available to them

I wouldn't be true to who I am and what my goals are if I didn't include a page that allows battered women and those who wish to assist them in opening avenues toward finding help. I appreciate the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners' willingness to help further my goals of safety and personal responsibility for self-defense for all women. The truth is, willingness doesn't really describe it. Everyone has been so supportive of what I hope to do in the future that they have fueled my drive even more than it was before I came to MRCGO.

Obviously, I am oriented toward armed self-defense. I handle firearms daily, am licensed to carry a concealed pistol in the state of Michigan and carry everywhere it is legal, both as a personal and political commitment. I have taken appropriate training opportunities as they have become available and owe many people a debt of gratitude for their assistance in my education and training. If not for them, I would not be able to do the work I do. If not for them, perhaps I wouldn't be the survivor I am. I have also become certified in CCW training classes and Refuse To Be A Victim® through the National Rifle Association and now teach others how to protect themselves and others should the situation arise.

"The defensive firearm is a special-purpose piece of safety rescue equipment, designed to extricate a person . . . from the immediate threat of savagely violent crime. It is like the fire extinguisher. . . . Neither piece of equipment will do you any good if you don't know how to use it or are not psychologically prepared to face danger with that gear in your trained hands in a terror situation."  -- Massad Ayoob, Handgun Primer

"Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician." -- Col. Jeff Cooper

Training and practice are vital to the efficient and effective use of a firearm as personal protection.

There are many resources available to attempt to educate and offer opportunities for women who wish a change in their lives. Most of these sites are very women-oriented and even "feminist" in nature. I do not think of myself as a feminist, although I am becoming a strong woman. I am extremely grateful to the many gentlemen who have invested in my education and assisted me in becoming safer every day. I would like to believe that I am a credit to their efforts.

Important Links:

Shelters.

Good, practical site but a little dry:

feminist.org

Another link within feminist.org

This site addresses the possibility of death as a result and gives excellent statistics and research to refer to. Many women die as a result of this kind of thing and they are never in more danger than when they finally break away, unfortunately:

Fatalities statistics.

Worth Noting:

* "Red Flags" (situational antecedents) identified in order of frequency in the 106 cases where men killed intimate female partners in Florida in 1994.

1. Prior history of domestic violence. Among these cases battered women often report an increasing entrapment.

2. Obsessively possessive beliefs on the part of the perpetrator. This is often accompanied by stalking behavior, close surveillance, inability to sleep on the part of the perpetrator, acute depression, perhaps a history of medication use, history of suicidal ideations, or, less commonly, documented suicide attempts.

3. Attempting to break away from the perpetrator, including divorce, separation, and estrangement. In a number of cases of breaking away researchers identified accompanying relationship difficulties regarding such matters as child custody/visitation.

4. Prior police involvement in the case.

5. Prior criminal history on the part of the perpetrator. In 43 percent of those cases where men killed their intimate female partners in non-multiple episodes, the men had prior histories of criminal behavior, nearly always involving violence.

6. Threats to kill the eventual victim. These were often communicated to family friends, relatives, neighbors, and others prior to the homicide.

7. Issuance of restraining orders (injunctions, protection orders).

8. Alcohol or drug use that often escalates prior to the fatal episode.

Mental, verbal, emotional abuse site.

The above site needs to be explored. It's terrific and will provide things for anyone to show someone they believe is in trouble to allow them to see it in print and know they're not alone. This is one good article on the site:

Abuse article.

Women need to develop a plan for escape that includes certain elements:

Safety Plan!

• One to four million American women are physically abused by their husbands or boyfriends each year.
  
• 26% of American women report that they have been physically abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives.
  
• 37% of women who sought emergency room treatment for violence-related injuries in 1994 were injured by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend.
  
• 26% of all female murder victims in 1995 were killed by their partners.
  
• Approximately 1,800 murders in 1996 were attributed to intimates; nearly 75% of these had a female victim.
  
  

These numbers may seem to high to you but unfortunately, they are reality. See additional statistics at ndvh.org. There are many, many myths surrounding relationship violence. These myths range from "Relationship violence is not a big deal. It is just an occasional slap, push or kick" to "It is easy to end an abusive relationship. You can just walk away." Unfortunately, it is not just a slap, push or kick. Relationship violence is very common and very serious. Every 15 seconds a woman is beaten and most of the time, it is not a one time occurrence. And you can't just walk away. It is extremely difficult to end an abusive relationship. The victim has to have a place to go, funds for survival and a support network. The controlling behaviors typically escalate when the partner tries to leave, increasing the risks of injury or death. Women die every day just when they finally decide to end the abuse. In fact, women are never in more danger in an abusive relationship than they are after they have ended the relationship.

Information for those who hope to help:

Professionals.

And this article by Zubretski and McGrath is terrific:

Intervention.

Good handout type thing geared toward professionals but effective, nonetheless:

Response.

To help you or others understand:

The Dynamics.

Horrific statistics analysis in .pdf format just in case anyone really thinks a woman won't end up dead without intervention:

U.S. Department of Justice

I am open to questions from a personal point of view, of course, and any factual information or help I can offer. Without support from the outside, a woman in this situation may never get free. Any woman who gets away alive has a success story to tell. Any woman who survives and thrives has yet another success story to tell. I'm telling the first; I'm working on the last.

- Arming Women Against Rape and Endangerment (AWARE)
- Janis' Handguns for Women
- Michigan Outdoors Women's Club
- Mother's Arms
- Paxton Quigley's Webpage
- Second Amendment Sisters - National
- Second Amendment Sisters - Michigan
- Women & Guns Magazine - Online
- A Human Right - Oleg Volk's stunning photography and commentary
- NRA Women - Firearm resources for women, topics include education, sport shooting, hunting, etc
- Pink Pistols - A shooting resource for members of the LGBT and "Pink" communities