Assailants Lie - Be Prepared to Fight Back

For women, not resisting attackers can be a lethal strategy
By Howard Nemerov, Austin Gun Rights Examiner
July 27th, 2009 1:58 pm CT (Austin Examiner)


The following story challenges the belief that resisting your attacker only escalates the violence. Just give them what they want and they’ll leave you alive, right?

Seattle residents Teresa Butz and her partner were in bed sleeping when Isaiah. M.K. Kalebu allegedly broke into their home and stabbed both multiple times. The women escaped the house, while Kalebu ran away. A neighbor heard somebody screaming for help and ran outside. Butz died at the scene from her injuries. A neighbor said Butz told him the attacker said that if they did what he asked, he wouldn’t hurt them. Her last words: “He lied, he lied.”

Kalebu is being held for investigation of murder, rape, attempted murder, and burglary. Police say that fingerprints and DNA evidence link him to the scene, and bail was set at $10 million.

This last detail is important, as the rest of the story will highlight.

In early July, Kalebu was arrested after his pit bull threatened neighbors. His aunt, Rachel Kalebu, bailed him out. The next day, Rachel obtained a restraining order against Isaiah, claiming that he threatened her.

A few days later, Rachel and former NFL quarterback John “J.J.” Jones died in a suspicious house fire, of which Isaiah Kalebu is the suspect.

Sometimes, people commit what they think is an act of kindness, but in this case, Rachel’s bailing her nephew out may have resulted in four people being murdered.

Isaiah’s mother, Denise Kalebu, remains in disbelief that he could have done any of this. Yet she has been aware that he suffers from mental illness for at least 18 months, and called police herself in March 2008, after he threatened to kill her. He was charged with felony harassment for that incident and was scheduled to go to trial in August, 2009.

Some truths to remember
Jessica Gonzales, trying to protect her three young children and herself from a violent estranged husband, obtained a restraining order, too. After the husband kidnapped the kids and murdered them, she sued the city, claiming that the restraining order gave her a special relationship with police. But whenever this issue is brought before the Supreme Court or other high courts, they have consistently ruled that police have no duty to protect a particular member of society, even if they have a restraining order.

Self-defense saves lives, and armed self-defense enables a woman to save multiple lives. Recently, one armed mom saved 5 lives by using a handgun.

Examination of the FBI Supplemental Homicide reports for the years 2000-2007 shows that over half of all women who successfully defended themselves from violent attackers used a firearm.

Considering that men average over 40 pounds more lean muscle mass than women, firearms provide a way to even the playing field. Samuel Colt, who invented the revolver, had this slogan: “God created men equal, Col. Colt made them equal.”

Ladies: Don’t limit your options, or your children’s future, because of an ideology or a fear.


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For in-depth analysis of the issues discussed here, read Howard’s book Four Hundred Years Of Gun Control - Why Isn't It Working?, which deconstructs the gun control agenda and motivates more people to support our civil right of self-defense. Autographed copies are available from the author.

Woman are Becoming More Comfortable with Firearms

This is a great article I pulled from CarryConcealed.net. The article is from 2008, but expresses the perspective of the female hand gun owner. Enjoy!

Women are becoming more comfortable with firearms

By Lee Allen June 28,2008

They’re called girls with guns, women with weapons, females with firearm, babes with bullets and there are probably others. But whatever the alliterative phrase, it’s a case of what is usually thought of as the gentle gender and a developing relationship with packing hardware.

Sandy Froman is woman who might be called slight in stature. Despite her diminutive size, beach bullies don’t kick sand in her face because the former president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) carries a gun with her whenever legally allowed to do so.

"I love guns and have never met one I didn’t like," says the Tucson attorney. "Pretty much if a bullet goes in a gun and comes out the barrel, I’ve shot it – pistol, rifle, shotgun, I love them all."
The former leader of the four million-member firearms organization has been elected to a lifetime appointment on the NRA’s executive council.

Not bad for a woman who waited to pull the trigger on her first gun – a Colt .45 – until she was 32. And even that action was prompted by necessity when an intruder tried to break into her San Francisco Bay Area home while she was a student at Stanford law school.

"Guns were never a part of my life up to that point," Froman said. "My father didn’t hunt or target shoot. We didn’t own any firearms, and nobody I knew owned guns either. It wasn’t that I disliked guns, they just weren’t on my radar screen."

That was until the night a would-be intruder tried to pry the lock off her front door and scared her.

"That was a moment of truth for me. Realizing just how alone and vulnerable I was, how I wouldn’t have been able to protect myself," she said. "The very next morning I went and bought a weapon. The salesman recommended I take a gun safety class where we fired pistols on an indoor range. My hand-eye coordination is pretty good and I put all the holes in one tiny circle on the target and felt much better about my ability to ensure my own safety. It grew from there to competitive shooting, hunting, and teaching others as an NRA-certified instructor."

Her involvement with the NRA has continued on for 25 years; 14 on the board, nine as a director and a two-year term as the president, which concluded in April.

Owning a gun or having any kind of involvement with firearms is an individual decision, she says.

"While I think that all women ought to own a gun or at least know how to shoot one, I respect the right of a woman not to have a gun if that decision is an informed one," Froman said. "When I learned about my Second Amendment rights and realized they applied to women as well as men, I learned the issue wasn’t just about guns, but about the freedom to choose to own a firearm if you wanted to."

Another late-in-life shooter is Debbie Ferns, a Tucson-based motivational speaker, handgun instructor, and author of the book, Babes with Bullets... Women Having Fun with Guns.

"I have a continuing passion to preserve Second Amendment rights for future generations," says Ferns, who didn’t pick up a pistol until she was 45. "I’m proficient in literally every type of weapon from handguns to rifles to shotguns."

She, too is a member of the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

As part of her feminine image, Ferns hands out pink business cards, shoots with pink-gripped pistols and long guns, and refers to herself as a Princess in Pink.

She say she’s "not interested in dressing in camouflage and sitting in rain or snow, being wet and uncomfortable for hours" so she is not a hunter, but likes shooting sports. That stance prompted her to be part of a report on "NBC Nightly News."

"I felt as a part of pro-gun America, it was an opportunity to share how I felt about firearms and why I don’t want my Second Amendment rights infringed upon," Ferns said. "It’s like the bumper sticker says: Ignore Your Rights and Eventually They’ll Go Away."

Married with two grown daughters who both shoot, Ferns’ passion to educate women about firearms has prompted organizing womens handgun camps across the country to introduce participants to shooting sports, but not hunting.

"It’s women teaching women," she says.

A certified tactical three-gun instructor, Ferns feels shooting sports enhance a woman’s ability for self-protection and improve her self-esteem.

"I can’t tell you how many times women all over the country have told me that they’ve heard things that go bump in the night and had no one else in the house to protect them," she said.

"Camps are part gun education, part pajama party, and total enjoyment as we all crank off a thousand rounds getting comfortable handling pistols. We assemble, disassemble, field strip and clean our weapons, load our own magazines, pick up all brass and clean the whole range before we leave."

Nancy Crowley is a shooting compatriot who lives on a small ranch outside of Albuquerque. She likes bolt-action rifles at long distances, punching the bullseye on targets 1,000 yards away.

"I was brought up to fear guns," she says, until she learned about guns and gun safety as part of self defense. "The transformation from women who are scared at the beginning into women who confidently handle firearms by the end of their training is rewarding. Near the end of our classes we bring out a variety of firearms with ammunition and we can’t get students to stop shooting."

There is evidence other women are becoming more comfortable with guns. Smith & Wesson is sponsoring a Ladies Shooting Camp Nov. 6-8 at Pima Pistol Club in Catalina. The 30-attendee roster is already sold-out with first-time shooters ranging in age from 25 to 75.

Lee Allen has it right with this story. We are seeing the requests for CCW classes at almost 50-50 men and women. With many of those numbers married couples getting permits together. This is a good article. Clark -Carryconcealed.net


About the Author: Lee Allen is a Tucson-based freelance writer who loves the outdoors. His Outdoor Observations column appears the third week of each month. AzBiz.com


Resources associated with this article:

Babes With Bullets (website, which includes camp information)



National Rifle Association

Who Says the .22 Doesn't Have Stopping Power

In my search for my first hand gun, I was generally directed away from .22 calibers. The reasoning is that a determine assailant would not be phased by the small caliber bullet. They are good for target practice.

As I thought about it - could a criminal honestly tell what caliber I had aimed at him? Wouldn't have a .22 pointed at an attacker be a lot better than being completely defenseless?

Here's an article about how .22 caliber revolver saved an elderly couple from being accosted:

While returning to their car after visiting a cemetery, an 82-year-old man and his 76-year-old wife were accosted by a man wearing a mask. The suspect drew an illegally possessed gun and ordered the couple to the ground. But his elderly targets were no easy victims. The husband, who has a concealed-carry permit, drew a .22 cal. revolver from his pocket. The suspect took cover behind a pine tree and both men opened fire. The husband's shots forced the suspect to retreat from the area. Police arrested the suspect and an alleged accomplice, aided b y a witness who described the getaway car as white with an "abnormally loud muffler."

Originally printed from Chronicle Independent, Camden, SC 12/17/10, transcribed from American Rifleman March 2011.

Purchasing A Gun: Part 1 Gun Store Etiquette

I hemmed and hawed when it came to buying my first gun.

For one, guns are expensive.  Once you buy one, it is difficult to return them unless there was a mechanical problem.

For another, guns are a personal decision.  What was right for my husband, the retail clerk, or my class instructor was not necessarily right for me.

So for a number of months I weighed cost and personal preference to find the perfect firearm.

I wanted it to be quality.  I liked Rugers and I like Smith and Wesson.  I really liked the way the Walther P22 felt in my hand, but I felt .22 caliber wouldn't make a good self defense gun.

I liked shooting the Ruger SP101, and being .357 caliber, it had enough stopping power.  But it was also huge.  I thought it would be good in a safe next to my bed - but I had to ask myself - "Would I ever feel comfortable carrying it?"

Then there were the .38 revolvers.  These are the ones all the ladies initially go for because they are small, have stopping power and many come with pink grips.  As soon as I asked to see one of these, the sales clerk or my husband would pipe up about it being light weight and that causing significant recoil.  My husband maintained that I could handle it.  Some of the male retailers would say I could shoot any gun I wanted, others would try to re-direct my attention to larger frames.

I held lots and lots of guns.  My advice to any lady who is thinking about buying her first firearm is to do the same.  It was intimidating at first.  When guys ask to see a gun they have this whole little ritual they do.  The open the slide or the revolver to make sure there are no bullets.  The snap it back into place and immediately hold it out in their extended arms and check out the site.  Some will dry fire it - that means they pull back the trigger even though it isn't loaded so they can check out how the trigger works.

You'll want to do something similar - even though it may feel silly at first.

1) Try not to let intimidation stop you from asking to see any gun of any caliber or any color.  Just walk up to the counter and ask.  The retailers want to help you.  If you get the feeling that they are talking down to you or limiting based on the fact you are a female, find a different shop.  I visited many local gun shops and spoke with many different sales people - all of them male.  Out of all of them, only one talked condescendingly to me and I took my business else where.  For the most part, they were really enthusiastic about helping a female choose a gun.

2) Make sure the weapon is clear - that means not loaded.  It may seem reasonable to skip this step, right?  Retailers are not going to store loaded weapons.  With something as serious as a firearm - you ALWAYS check.  Normally the sales person will check before handing the gun to you - often times leaving the slide or barrel open.  Go ahead and do your own check too.

3) Test the slide, the lock, the barrel release - any moving part on the gun you will need to operate.  Some slides are really difficult to pull back.  Try pulling your arms in closer to your body as you pull it open if you are having trouble.  Ask the sales person to show you how everything works.  Take note of the features you like and did not like.

4) Hold the gun in your shooting hand and lift it up as if you were aiming it.  Even though it is unloaded and this was double check - etiquette and safety stipulate that you do not point the gun at another person.  Point the gun at a wall or another area of the store clear of people.  Check your hand on the grip - does it feel comfortable?  Can you reach the trigger with your finger easily?  Also look through the sites to see if they are easy for you to use.

5) Test the trigger, but ask for permission first.  Some gun retailer do not allow "dry firing", so always ask before you pull the trigger.  Ask yourself if the trigger was easy for you to pull.  Did you like the way it operated?

6) When you are done, open the slide or release the barrel.  Again, seems like an unnecessary step since it has already been checked twice, but for safety sake, go ahead and do it again.  The retailer will if you don't.  Set it down gently on the counter - on a mat if one is available.  If you are interested in the gun make sure to note its price.

In a nutshell, that is all there is to handling guns in a retail environment.  Go out there and handle as many as you need to in order to make an informed decision about this pricey and important purchase.