It’s a scary world out there for those of us who are licensed to carry concealed firearms. It seems everyday there is another headline about some armed robber shooting up a store, or mass shooter with a SUV full of automatic weapons. The latest statistics from the Department of Justice reveal that violent crimes – homicides, rape, robbery and assaults – have increased in America’s largest cities.
This is not your usual article about concealed carry holster though… this is an informative article designed to educate individuals considering carrying a licensed firearm on the risks they expose themselves and others to due to the choice they make on what way to carry their firearm. This article is for the purpose of informing the concealed carriers to make better choices in selecting a carry method.
Risks Of Carrying A Concealed Weapon In Your Purse Or Handbag
This is a relatively new phenomenon that has cropped up in recent years as more and more women have obtained their concealed carry licenses and taken their right of self-defense into their own hands.
Many of these women feel it is their duty to defend themselves and their children against predators and those who would do them harm. These women refuse to cower in fear while out in public, afraid of the dangers of being attacked. They carry concealed weapons in their handbags or purses so they are ready if they have to act in self-defense situations.
Unfortunately, carrying a concealed firearm in your purse or handbag exposes you and others around you to robbery and other crimes that can occur at any time and anywhere if the criminal knows you have a gun on your person. Just like the woman who was robbed in a Target parking lot in San Antonio, Texas while her concealed carry handgun was in her purse. She was walking to her car when she was approached by two teenage boys who attempted to rob her. When she refused to surrender her purse, the teens opened fire, hitting the woman twice and killing a 16-year-old bystander who happened to be walking by.
Carrying a concealed weapon in your purse or handbag also exposes you to potential dangers of your bag being snatched and the purse getting caught up on something when you are attacked while it is around your shoulder or it gets caught as you try to get away. There have been multiple incidents of women who have had their purses stolen when they were held at gunpoint, thereby leaving them defenseless.
The woman who was murdered in Target parking lot is a perfect example of what can go wrong while carrying concealed in your handbag. She attempted to defend herself with a gun that she should not have had in her purse if she was concerned about safety and protecting herself and her children from would be assailants.
She could have easily been the victim of a violent crime herself that day. When she was shot and killed, her two-year-old daughter was in the backseat of her SUV. Her purse was thrown to the ground and when it opened, the gun was exposed to everyone around her. This then created a danger for passersby who might have also been involved in an accident had the gun not been exposed.
