Girls and Guns: Behind the trend

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Every hour, five people walk into an Ohio Sheriff's office to apply for a concealed carry permit or renew one. But what's catching the attention of instructors right now is how many of those applicants are women.    

Many of those taking the concealed carry class with Dayton CCW at the Spring Valley Firing Range have their own stories for why they decided to pursue their permit.

"About a year and a half ago, my husband was the victim of violence," said Marquita Turner of Trenton. "It was a road rage incident that got extremely out of control."

Turner's husband was attacked before he could even get out of his car. The suspect hit and kicked him. He was injured in the incident, and it got the Turners thinking about their safety.

"I think the outcome would have been very different had we had the concealed carry permit," said Turner.

Today, Turner has her CCW permit. She carries a gun in her purse or her car when she feels it's necessary. She's certainly not alone.

In Montgomery County in 2010, 422 of the 2290 applicants for a CCW permit were women compared to 459 of 2029 in 2011. That's more than a 4 percent increase in just one year.
    
And while numbers are not available yet for the first few months of 2012, instructor Dan Colvin with Dayton CCW said the increase in women in his classes so far this year is staggering. He estimated the percentage has jumped from 20 percent to 35 percent.

"We get new mothers, we get grandmothers and everybody in between," said Colvin.

One of Colvin's students is Hillary Robinette of South Charleston. She stands just over five feet tall and decided a firearm would give her a fighting chance against a criminal.

"I had just gotten back from Spain, and while I was there I felt insecure," she said. I just wanted to have the security of carrying something that could defend me against anybody who would try to do me harm."

Turner is a mom to two teenagers and a nurse who works at an area hospital.

"I work in an emergency department, so I do see many times the after effects of violence," Turner said.

"A lot of people have this perception of who comes and gets their CCW or who comes to the range and fires their gun, or who would be a gun owner. Those perceptions are being torn down because it's every day citizens that you probably sit next to on the bus, or that you sit next to at work or sit next to at a restaurant," Colvin said.

The question is why are so many women all of a sudden choosing to add a firearm to their purses?

"I think it's becoming culturally acceptable," said Turner. "People are talking about it, people are more aware of it. It's kind of seen as something that's okay for women to do now."

"I feel like many women are in my position, they are independent, they travel a lot, they work a lot and they see the crime that goes on and they don't want anything like that to ever happen to them," Robinette said.

Gun rights might be a key issue in the presidential campaign, but state lawmakers have already tackled it.

Recent legislation has made it legal for someone with a concealed carry permit to carry guns into bars, restaurants and a handful of other places as long as the holder doesn't drink alcohol. It's also legal for people convicted of certain misdemeanors to apply for a permit.

Still sitting in the state house are House Bill 263, which would require background checks at gun shows and House Bill 256, which would allow people to carry a concealed firearm without a license.

In order to qualify for a permit, you must complete ten hours of classroom time and two hours of live fire exercise. There's a written test and a background check.
    
The local sheriff's office issues all CCW permits and the paperwork is forwarded to the state attorney general's office. The attorney general keeps records on how many permits are issued.

The license is good for 5 years and the renewal process includes a new set of fingerprints and a new background check. The state does not require updated training. That is left up to the license holder.

"It's not hey, spend 12 hours in a class, go get your license then start carrying a gun around. That's not the objective. The objective is to give you enough training that you qualify for your CCW, and the ability to go train," said Colvin.

While they don't always carry their guns, and mostly rely on pepper spray, most of the women we spoke to said they have and plan to continue training.