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By Shirley Grenoble
For the Mirror
As I surveyed the tables of books at a recent library book sale in Bellwood, I couldn't help but hear what a couple of women were saying to one another.
They were discussing their most recent bicycle forays into the woods and the surprise each one felt when they unexpectedly ran into men there.
What I heard made the chills run up and down my spine. So, never having been a shrinking violet, I butted in with my two cents worth.
About now, you are all assuming I am recommending everyone carry a gun. Actually, I am not. Being a hunter for many decades now, I have my own firearms and I know how to use them. I have told the stories of having protected myself from real danger at least four times in my lifetime with a firearm, but I know it is not the answer for everyone.
Most women are fearful of handling a gun. They seem to think that guns are living things that jump off shelves or out of drawers and shoot themselves. But the facts are that it is always people who pull the triggers on guns and in today's world, which seems to be turning more violent every day, there are more bad gun-toters than good.
Women of my generation were not taught to shoot, to hunt. It simply was not considered that women would need or ever want to go hunting or learn to shoot. Guns are loud and so women always shy away from them instead of being taught how to use them.
For anyone who wants to have a firearm for protection, target shooting or hunting, you must know that you need to learn, preferably from a professional, how to use a gun. You will be surprised at how simple it is to learn to shoot and to shoot well.
There is one pro gun trainer who offers classes on learning to shoot in the area. His name is Wayne Bush and here is some information from him on his classes.
He is the owner of White Horse Nation, LLC and he is a certified firearms instructor who can teach you the right way to use a firearm. Check it out at whnllc.com and click on scheduled classes.
There are things such as mace, pepper spray tasers and other things that you can find at the nearest gun shop to use for protection. There are some things that people use that are useless. Baseball bats for instance. You have to let a threatening person get quite close to you for a bat to connect with him. When he gets that close he will simply grab the bat out of the air and probably use it on you.
I challenge women who bicycle alone or hike alone to be always aware of who and what is around them. Here in Altoona we have had many incidents of folks being shot at, or physically attacked, and they were dangerous incidents yet no one was prepared to protect themselves.
One recent event happened just a couple of blocks from where some good friends of mine reside. If the shooters at that place had hassled any friends, I promise you they would have been met with resistance.
I have a carry permit and I seldom go anywhere that my pistol is not with me. I have never shot anybody, but I am committed to the fact that if my life is in danger, I will pull the trigger.
The four times I mentioned when I did defend myself … just the sight of the gun stopped the perpetrator quickly.
Things have changed drastically since I was young. I remember going outside after supper to play capture the flag with neighborhood kids and having a wonderful time of it. I remember walking over a mile to go swimming in Pine Creek, walking from my house and back to go to the Saturday movie, often not arriving home until after dark, and it never occurred to me to be afraid.
But it simply is not safe to do such things today.
I am looking all around me all the time, even when I am in the grocery store, being careful to never park my car beside a van in the parking lot, and you could not pay me enough to park in a parking garage.
Being aware of what is around you all the time is the best way to protect yourself. But if someone suddenly appears that causes you concern, it is valuable to have a protective device at hand.
Now that I have created a picture of myself as a "Ma Barker" clone, be at ease. Go ahead and speak to me if you see me in church, at the market or on the street. I am as normal as can be. I simply choose to be as careful as can be.