LSU women flock to gun shops, firing ranges after series of deaths

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Drizzt

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University Wire

March 18, 2003, Tuesday

LENGTH: 427 words

HEADLINE: LSU women flock to gun shops, firing ranges after series of deaths

BYLINE: By Damiane Ricks, The Reveille

SOURCE: Louisiana State U.

DATELINE: Baton Rouge, La.

BODY:
More female students are frequenting gun stores and firing ranges in search of a sense of security in a city where they have become the prey.

The recent discovery of Louisiana State University graduate student Carrie Yoder's body in Whiskey Bay has prompted the latest surge in gun sales, said Precision Firearms sales clerk Tiffany Theriot.

The store in Baton Rouge, La., saw similar boosts this summer as eventually four women were linked to the South Louisiana serial killer.

Third-year Vet School students Emily Medici and Marlowe Ward are two of several female students who have visited Precision Firearms and Indoor Range in recent months to purchase a gun and learn to use it.

"We came gun shopping and found out about Ladies' Day," Medici said.

On Mondays, if women purchase ammunition and a target, they do not have to pay the $ 15 fee to fire on the range, said Jeff Witas, a manager. The cost of the ammunition depends on the caliber of the bullet.

"This is my second time coming to practice at the firing range," Medici said. "We came because we got our guns on Saturday and decided we needed to learn how to use them."

Ward said the proximity of the murders has motivated her to get acquainted with using a weapon.

"All the killings have been between my house and campus," she said.

Fear has driven female students to arm themselves. Some were not willing to give their full names to this article.

Melissa, a physiology graduate student, said she started coming to the range because her boyfriend wanted her to come.

"I've been coming since Pam Kinamore's death," she said. "I own a Glock .45."

Melissa said she prefers a semiautomatic to the traditional revolver.

"You can put more bullets in a semiautomatic than a revolver," she said. "A revolver's trigger is harder to pull."

Theriot said they started promoting the Ladies' Days more when the killings began.

"Most women wouldn't come otherwise," she said.

Customers can shoot at targets up to 50 feet away; however, women who take self-defense training take aim at targets 10 to 15 feet away. In a real-life situation, women would be firing on an attacker from that close, Theriot said.

Lauren, a fashion design junior, bought a Glock .22.

"It's fun, loud and empowering," she said.

Theriot said she is saddened and sickened by the Baton Rouge murders and is tired of being afraid.

"If more women openly carried [weapons], there'd be a lot less victims in this town," she said. "The only way to not be scared is to be ready."

(C) 2002 The Reveille via U-WIRE
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Now, was that a Glock 22, or a Glock .22?
 
Being a girl, you'd think she would have gotten a pretty looking gun. :mad: :banghead:
 
my wife hates glocks with a passion, then again she doesn't like a whole lot of guns that weren't made by browning
 
Can't say I care for the Glock's but I share Melissa's opinion of the revolver. :) This lady prefers a Beretta -- which in my opinion is not only a reliable pistol but probably the best looking gun on the market -- but then color me biased. :p At least these ladies are finally taking their safety into their own hands instead of depending on the local police and campus security.
 
As I have asked before, why does it take a serial killer/rapist for women to think about personal security? What about the regular murderers and rapists out there?
 
"All the killings have been between my house and campus," she said.

It's good that they are arming themselves and realizing police cannot protect them. It's bad that the system will prosecute them if they are found illegally carrying a weapon concealed. Plus the fact that they can't bring them on campus.

Kinda leaves them in a hard spot.

Good Shooting
RED
 
Good article.
Sadly as stated it takes something like this to hit close to home for people to wake up.
Coupled with the fact that many LEO are involved in the Middle East, leaving many Dept short staffed , perhaps this has-or will- get others to take personal responsibility.

Make or model, don't care, just happy to see them learn safety and practice regular.

Concealed means concealed...
 
I am heartened by the number of women who are taking care of their personal protection in this area.

When the serial killer's victims first began to be widely publicised, I went shopping for a J-frame smith at the Baton Rouge gun shop.

I was unable to in the parking lot, it was full. As I walked into the building, women were walking out taking their newly aquired weapons (guns, pepper spray, stun guns) and concealing them. Out of the approximately 80 people in the store :eek:, I was the only male there not in the company of a woman.

In the second store, there were 4 pistols left out of a usual inventory of 40~50 guns, and they were awaiting a shipment of pepper spay.

A similar attitude is becoming evident here in Lafayette. I went to Barney's, an indoor range, during Ladies Night, and there were over 50 women there shooting or waiting to shoot.

While I am glad that so many women are arming themselves, I not happy with the situation that caused it. Many of us here hope that the serial killer will himself be killed by an armed citizen than taken in by the police.
 
And the Gov. stepped up to the plate by suggesting that women arm themselves, too.

In Kali, IL, or the PRNJ, the Gov. would rather that women be raped and strangled. :rolleyes: :barf:
 
Slightly off-topic, but Precision Firearms as a gunshop rocks! I always make it a point of stopping in there whenever I get to Baton Rouge. Great selection of guns and accessories. Non-paid endorsement is now ended. ;) geegee
 
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