Personal Defense for Women

by Gila Hayes

  Joanna demonstrates the convenience of the snapping belt loops on her Alessi holster. This rig works well for her since the very short-barreled Kahr pistol it carries does not extend far below her belt line and so it is concealeable.

  Vertical shoulder holster blends pistol’s outline with torso of even a small woman.

  Nylon holster waistpack blends with author’s motorcycle gear and is quite unobtrusive there because many riders carry wallets and other essentials in waistpacks.

  Drawing your handgun from an ankle holster requires practice. The right-handed “defender” takes a big step, left-leg forward. The left hand lifts a handful of trouser leg on the thigh above the knee, where the hand can rest and support the weight as the right hand snakes down and snatches the gun from its holster on the inside the left ankle. The defender then simply straightens the torso enough to align the sights on target and is ready to shoot. The feet are already in an aggressive shooting stance. If the pants are too tight to grab and lift, drop to the non-gun knee, grab the pistol and shoot from a kneeling position.

  North American Arms .380 Guardian carried in an ankle holster is sandwiched between two stockings for better concealment and comfort when the dress code makes it impossible to carry a larger gun at the waistline.

  I have also carried in an ankle holster at business meetings all day, only to transfer the small .380 semi-auto to an empty coat pocket for a trip back to a motel room later that evening. Drawing from an ankle holster is never going to beat the speed of a gun in the hand, a consideration when riding the commuter train or walking through dark parking lots!

  Holster Purses

  I’m very uneasy with a gun carried off the body, but reality takes its toll on idealism, and I have to admit that there are times when a purse or holster bag is a reasonable option that will let some women keep a gun in easy reach. At a dress-up affair, a woman carrying a pretty sequined or beaded purse is inconspicuous, however a woman who cannot take off her jacket can become uncomfortable. I concede: a gun purse is a good solution under limited circumstances.

  Some will ask why they can’t carry a gun in their normal handbag. There are several very good reasons to only use a special bag designed as a holster. The first is the presence of other objects that become caught in and foul the gun’s action, or worse yet, may disengage the gun’s safety risking a negligent discharge. This is not just a problem for amateurs. I still remember my amazement, when attending an American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers conference, as I listened to a trainer describe the tribulations of an off-duty female law enforcement officer who drew a revolver from her purse to find an eyebrow pencil jammed down the barrel.

  The second reason for using a purse specially designed to carry a gun is drawing speed. Pulling a handgun from a conventional purse is terribly slow, as the defender fumbles with the latch or zipper, then dredges through the other personal effects trying to reach the weapon. A gun purse has a separate pouch that is inaccessible from the rest of the bag, often with a sewn-in holster to hold the gun in the same position all the time. At a minimum, this separation protects your gun from open view when you reach in to get your wallet, lipstick or other common purse contents. To draw, insert your hand, grasp the gun grips and present the weapon in a cross-draw manner. If the gun purse does not have a dedicated pouch and a built-in holster, don’t buy it. There are plenty of very good gun purses that have built-in holsters and fast, positive closures that make getting to the gun quicker in an emergency.

  Attractive handbags from makers like Coronado Leather14and Galco feature separate compartments that contain a pistol holster.

  Inside this Galco “Newport” gun purse, a special compartment just for the gun and its holster keeps other purse debris away from your defense gun.

  The greatest difficulty I have in justifying gun purses is the question of proper response to a purse snatching. Experts agree that the best defense against muggers or purse snatchers is to give them the purse or wallet, so long as the woman is allowed to escape unharmed. A run-by purse snatching can turn into an ugly ground fight if the woman struggles to keep her bag. However, the good advice to give up a snatched bag is drastically altered by the presence of a deadly weapon in the purse. We know we must not use deadly force to stop property theft, yet we also endorse the need to keep guns out of criminal hands. To this conundrum, there is no easy answer.

  The best decision is to use the holster purse only in social or business circumstances where no other alternative exists. If unexpected circumstances put you at risk of a purse snatching, carry the holster bag cross-body, and tuck that bag in tight to the front of your body where the savvy criminal knows it is more difficult to grab. Try other holster methods, including belly bands, shoulder rigs and ankle holsters before falling back on holster bags for every day use. It is, in my opinion, a last resort.

  If you decide to carry a gun in a holster handbag you must be committed to keeping that purse on your body or, if seated, between your ankles at all times. A purse hung off the back of a chair can be stolen or may attract the curiosity of a small child. Neither is acceptable when the purse contains a gun. A purse left on a host’s coat tree or couch is also accessible to unauthorized hands. If you carry in a holster handbag, when you are in the car, lodge that bag tightly between the seat and console or the seat and your locked door, where it won’t shift as the car moves. The gun is a serious responsibility. If you aren’t willing to keep it with you continually, you must leave it safely locked away.

  Clothing for Concealed Carry

  A cute 25-year old student of mine complained that she couldn’t carry a concealed handgun. She didn’t like the feel of a fanny pack, and she had concluded an inside-the-waistband concealment holster would not fit inside the tight blue jeans she favored. The question sounded like a challenge: “Tell me how to carry my gun with no hassle, and then I’ll take your advice to carry it all the time.” Fortunately, there was an answer for this one: if you want to show off your rear, buy boys or men’s jeans—they still fit tight in the seat, but they’re roomier through the waist and will accommodate an inside-the-waistband holster and gun for most women.

  A lot of armed people find themselves buying clothes to fit around concealing a gun. We select pants that have a little extra room in the waist. Our trousers have waistbands with belt loops for a sturdy belt and straight, loose legs to hide ankle holsters. We buy boxy blazers that are more loosely fitted to hide either a belt holster or shoulder holster. Others have adopted the casual photographer, hiker or mountain biker vests to hide the gun, or wear oversized shirts over tank tops in the summertime. Any jacket with an elastic band at the bottom, like bomber jackets and baseball jackets, work well for belt holster concealment, too.

  It’s not really as much trouble as it seems in the beginning. After a while, fitting the gun into your clothing style becomes as natural as making sure you have white underwear to wear with white slacks.

  Break It In

  I like to break in a holster by initially wearing it around the house so I can adjust the gear if it begins to rub or gouge. A new holster, worn immediately in public, can inflict considerable discomfort with no opportunity to make adjustments. I’d rather find out where it rubs and where it needs to be adjusted in privacy before taking it public. I also recommend several hundred “dry” repetitions of drawing the unloaded gun from the holster, assuming a shooting stance and dry firing, when breaking in a new holster.

  A loose polo shirt covers the Para Ordnance in Jacqueline’s belt holster.

  The body, according to physiologists, needs 2,000 to 5,000 repetitions of any movement before it becomes habit. Remember when driving a manual transmission car was nearly impossible? Now, if you drive that kind of car regularly, shifting is as automatic as tying your shoes. After around 5,000 repetitions, drawing and firing your handgun becomes just as smooth, too. You can get a good start on those repetitive movements by practicing with an unloaded gun.

  Initial practice
with any holster or gun must be accomplished with the weapon unloaded. Put all the ammunition in a box or drawer in a different room. Double check to see that the chamber or cylinder is empty and apply all the other principles of safe dry fire. Learning your safe way around your new holster will take some time and practice. Practice in complete privacy, without distractions or the danger of inadvertently pointing your gun at a family member.

  Notes

  1Kramer Handgun Leather, P. O. Box 112154, Tacoma, WA 98411, 253-564-6652, www.kramerleather.com

  2Blade-Tech, 3060 S 96th, Tacoma, WA 98499, 253-581-4347, www.blade-tech.com

  3Mitch Rosen’s Extraordinary Gunleather, 300 Bedford St., Manchester, NH 03101, 603-647-2971, www.mitchrosen.com

  4C. Rusty Sherrick, 507 Mark Dr., Elizabethtown, PA 17022, 717-361-7699, www.c-rusty.com

  5FIST, Inc., 35 York St., Brooklyn, NY 11201, 800-443-3478 www.fist-inc.com/holsters/

  6Matt Del Fatti, 907 W. Main St., Greenwood, WI 54437, 715-267-6420, www.delfatti.com

  7Bianchi International, 100 Calle Cortez, Temecula, CA 92590, 800-477-8545, www.bianchi-intl.com

  8DeSantis Holster & Leathergoods, P. O. Box 2039, Hillside Manor Branch, New Hyde Park, NY 11040, 516-354-8000, www.desantisholster.com

  9Milt Sparks Holsters Inc., 605 E. 44th, #2, Boise, ID 82714, 208-377-5577, www.miltsparks.com

  10Galco International, 2019 W. Quail Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85027, 602-258-8295, www.usgalco.com

  11Five-Shot Leather, LLC, 14201 NE 36th St., Vancouver, WA 98682, 360-624-8284, www.5shotleather.com

  12Gould & Goodrich, P. O. Box 1479, Lillington, NC 27546, 919-893-2071, www.gouldusa.com

  13Uncle Mike’s, 9200 Cody, Overland Park, KS 66214, 913-752-3400, www.unclemikes.com

  14Coronado Leather, 120 C Ave., Coronado, CA 92118, 800-283-9509, www.coronadoleather.com.

  Alessi’s well-made inside-the-waistband holster (IWB) conceals beneath a conservative suit.

  CHAPTER 21

  The Home-Defense Shotgun

  While the handgun is an easy firearm with which to learn shooting skills, it is not the most powerful defensive weapon one may choose. The handgun comes first to mind in discussion of defensive firearms because the pistol’s small dimensions provide the portability and concealability valued by the individual legally entitled to carry a concealed firearm for personal defense. Other defensive functions, including home defense or protection of a place of business, may be served as well or better by a light rifle or a shotgun.

  Shotguns have many great characteristics for the ensconced defender—that is, for one who must remain in position and fight instead of fleeing. The shotgun is a common home-defense and sporting firearm that not so many years ago also saw extensive use in police service. We benefit from the shotgun’s long history since it provides many, many variations from which to choose, lots of ammunition options, and can fine tune the shotgun’s fit with a wealth of accessories.

  Terminology

  With shotguns, the term “gauge” is similar to our use of “caliber” for handguns and rifles. Unlike caliber, with gauge the larger the number, the smaller the bore. Historically, gauge was defined by the number of solid balls the same diameter as the inside of the barrel that could be made from a pound of lead. Thus, the 10-gauge shotgun is larger than the 12-gauge, which is larger than the 20-gauge. Even smaller are the rather uncommon 24- and 28-gauges. The exception is the smallest of all, the .410 shotgun, which is expressed by the measurement (caliber) of its nominal bore size.

  The most common shotgun gauge is the 12-gauge, the dominant shotgun choice in law enforcement. For home defense, the smaller 20-gauge shotgun does the job just fine, and this smaller shotgun is often found in use by smaller-statured birdhunters, as well.

  The shotgun is unique in its ability to fire shells containing varying numbers of pellets, different sized shot, slugs, and in some guns even shells of several lengths for a magnum or standard charge. It is really quite a versatile defense tool that can be a lot of fun to train with.

  The great advantage of the home-defense shotgun is its simultaneous delivery of multiple projectiles at reasonably high velocities. The effect of 20 .25-caliber pellets of #3 buckshot moving at around 1200 fps from a 20-gauge shotgun is vastly more devastating than firing nine single shots of .25 caliber handgun ammunition into an assailant. When innocent life is threatened, the overwhelming concern must be to stop the attack quickly. At that instant, we are not worried about the eventual survival or demise of the assailant; seeking only an immediate cessation of the attack. Used to stop violent attack, the shotgun is effective indeed when fired with accuracy and skill.

  (Top to Bottom) Youth sized Mossberg Model 500 20-gauge pump shotgun, bird hunter’s Winchester Model 1400 16-gauge autoloading shotgun and police-style Mossberg Model 590 12-gauge pump shotgun.

  Pros and Cons

  The home-defense shotgun is best employed when the home’s occupants can take refuge in a prearranged, protected area, and defend themselves from a single point. The multiple projectiles that make the shotshell so effective are equally dangerous to innocents if they miss the intruder and penetrate walls of occupied rooms. Handgun ammunition poses the same danger, of course, but this hazard is compounded by the multiple projectiles each shotshell contains. Later, we’ll discuss shot patterns, how they spread over varying distances, and the penetration potential of various shotgun loads.

  As a defensive weapon, the shotgun seems best suited to childless couples or single occupants, or in home layouts where those to be protected are sure to be clustered behind the defender. The shotgun works well if those responsible for home defense take their position at the head of a hall that precedes all other bedrooms, or can defend the family from the top of a staircase, if all the residents are ensconced on the upper floor.

  In any home-defense plan, the downfall of the shotgun will be its weight and length. If you must hold a home intruder at gun point with the shotgun for more than 10 or 15 minutes, its weight will become tiresome indeed. 12-gauge shotguns weigh around 7 lbs.; 20-g. shotguns average 5 lbs. Compare that weight to your 1- to 2-lb. handgun when deciding which home-defense tool will work best for you.

  Shotgun Myths

  You may have read elsewhere that the shotgun can be fired accurately without taking time to align the sights. This is not true. At home-defense distances like five yards, it is entirely possible to completely miss a human-sized target if the sights are not used! Skill with the shotgun, like any other defensive firearm, requires competent instruction, dedicated practice, sighted fire and trigger control. When these skills are mastered, it becomes a devastating weapon.

  Others have written that one big disadvantage of the shotgun is that it requires two hands to operate. This is not entirely true, either. Certainly, with only one hand, it is faster and easier to fire a pistol than a shotgun. Still, with advanced training, one can operate the shotgun with just one hand, including cycling a pump shotgun.

  Shotgun Selection

  Just as handgun fit is crucial to accuracy, the shotgun must also fit the shooter. Women face a challenge in finding shotgun stocks that are sufficiently short. One great advantage to the 20-gauge shotgun is the ready availability of “youth models,” short-stocked shotguns that operate just like the full-sized models. Most full-sized shotguns have a 14” or longer length of pull (the measurement from end of stock to trigger), while youth models usually go at 13 inches.

  When the shotgun’s stock is too long, the shooter’s support arm is nearly hyperextended, instead of bent at the elbow for strength needed to hold up the shotgun and pull it in tightly into the shoulder. Without strong support from the non-shooting hand, the shooter leans back at the waist, attempting to balance the weight of the shotgun over her hips. If merely holding the gun was required, this would succeed; however, when firing the shotgun, a shoulders-back stance is disastrous. When strong stance is compromised, the recoil’s effects are intensified. If the overlarge shotgun is a pump ac
tion, working the slide can pull the shotgun out onto the shoulder joint, where it must be repositioned before the next shot, or it will recoil painfully into the joint.

  Training to use the pump action shotgun one handed, in case of injury or disability.

  After firing the first shot, brace the butt of the shotgun on the ground. The hand comes up to the forend to cycle the empty shell out of the chamber.

  As the second shot fires, the recoil has opened the action slightly on this old, well-worn Remington 870.

  By now, you can see the necessity of proper stock fit. As a general rule, when the butt of the shotgun is held in the elbow crook of your bent arm, the first joint crease on your index finger should fully contact the trigger. The 20-gauge youth shotguns fit this dimension perfectly for many women and should be seriously considered when buying a home-defense shotgun. If a youth model is too short, you can add a recoil pad like the Pachmayr Decelerator, which not only dampens the felt recoil enormously, but also adds length to the stock.1