Personal Defense for Women

by Gila Hayes

  © 2009 Krause Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of F+W Media, Inc.

  Published by

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  All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2009923233

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-0390-9 (paperback)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-44021-331-1 (EPUB)

  ISBN-10: 1-4402-0390-3

  Designed by Kara Grundman

  Edited by Dan Shideler

  Printed in the United States of America

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  FOREWORD BY MASSAD AYOOB

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  CHAPTER 1 WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  CHAPTER 2 DEVELOPING A SAFETY CONSCIOUS ATTITUDE

  CHAPTER 3 A FIGHT AVOIDED IS A FIGHT WON

  CHAPTER 4 FINDING THE WILL TO SURVIVE

  CHAPTER 5 EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES OF SURVIVAL

  CHAPTER 6 THE COMFORT OF HOME SAFETY

  CHAPTER 7 THE BUMP IN THE NIGHT

  CHAPTER 8 CAMPUS SAFETY FOR YOUNG ADULTS

  CHAPTER 9 PERSONAL SAFETY AT WORK

  CHAPTER 10 HIT ‘EM WHERE IT HURTS

  CHAPTER 11 NON LETHAL TOOLS

  CHAPTER 12 TASERS

  CHAPTER 13 RAPE PREVENTION AND SURVIVAL

  CHAPTER 14 WHEN AM I ALLOWED TO SHOOT?

  CHAPTER 15 SAFE GUN HABITS TO LIVE BY

  CHAPTER 16 BASIC FIREARMS TRAINING

  CHAPTER 17 ANNIE, GET YOUR GUN

  CHAPTER 18 ALL ABOUT HAND GUN AMMUNITION

  CHAPTER 19 SHOOTING SKILLS

  CHAPTER 20 CONCEALED CARRY

  CHAPTER 21 THE HOME-DEFENSE SHOTGUN

  CHAPTER 22 SHOTGUN AMMUNITION

  CHAPTER 23 RIFLES AND CARBINES

  CHAPTER 24 POST-SHOOTING SURVIVAL

  AFTERWORD

  FOREWORD

  by Massad Ayoob

  It’s an honor to write the foreword for Gila Hayes’ latest book. She has long since emerged as one of the most articulate and influential voices in the movement toward effective self-protection for women. Gila breaks the stereotypes. Those who oppose gun owners’ civil rights in general and women’s rights to protect themselves and their loved ones in particular, try to paint armed women as a cross between Tugboat Annie and a wanna-be Xena, The Warrior Princess. But when you meet Gila Hayes, you find a witty, self-possessed woman in prime of life who can debate articulately the choices she and so many other enlightened women have made…living proof that graceful femininity and strength are in no way mutually exclusive.

  As a police weapons trainer since 1972, active in the national associations and attending international seminars, I’ve seen the best that great cadre has to offer. I can tell you that Gila is in the top tier of either gender, though she has become most famous for her ability to both inspire women to protect themselves and theirs, and effectively teach them how to do so. Cross-trained in less-lethal weapons, hand-to-hand, and the legal side, she puts the Armed Woman Lifestyle into a total, real-world perspective.

  There’s another stereotype that Gila absolutely shatters, the one that says, “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.” Believe me, sisters and brothers, I’ve seen this woman shoot. I’ve seen her win women’s shooting championships up to the national level, but perhaps more to the point, I’ve seen her win open championship titles, shooting against the men and beating them, with masculine stereotype weapons ranging from the .45 automatic to the 12 gauge shotgun. When she won the shotgun match one year at Washington State Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors’ Seminar—shooting a hard-kicking Remington 870 pump with full-power slugs against big SWAT guys, some of whom were shooting reduced recoil loads in already soft-kicking semiautomatic shotguns—I wanted to dance in the streets. (I’m a father of daughters. Sue me. Our daughters need more role models like Gila Hayes.)

  Read this book. Buy it for the ladies in your life, and urge them to read it too. It’s not about guns so much as it’s about empowerment.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The ideas, principles and concepts making up this book are certainly not original with me. Training for armed self defense is a field that has been maturing since 1976 when Jeff Cooper, now deceased, opened Gunsite training academy to private citizens. I came to this study somewhat later, but did make it to Gunsite when the Colonel still came out on his ATV to see how classes were going. Though Cooper was no longer teaching then, his influence shines through the instruction of many of the leaders in firearms and tactical training today. I’ve been privileged to study with many of them: John Farnam, Clint Smith, Chuck Taylor, Ken Hackathorn, Louis Awerbuck and others.

  In addition to Col. Cooper, another educator leaving an indelible stamp on the armed self defense movement is Massad Ayoob. He has quantified both the methods best suited to self defense shooting as well as the aftermath of a defense shooting. I have had the superb fortune to attend his classes for many years as a student, and as his assistant when he teaches at our school, The Firearms Academy of Seattle, Inc.

  My guiding light and inspiration in those early years and through today is my husband Marty Hayes. It is to him that I dedicate the following pages. An innovative thinker, Marty’s lifework in the field of firearms and tactical training and use of force doctrine is an interesting mix of innovation and conservatism. Without his urging and support, I would not have enjoyed the nearly two decades of writing magazine articles and two editions of my book Effective Defense.

  The invitation to update and expand upon the materials I’d earlier published in Effective Defense came from Krause Publications editor Dan Shideler at a most unexpected time. In early 2008, I had taken a sabbatical from magazine writing, in order to make time to get the new Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network up and running. Even so, when Shideler called to ask if I’d like to do a women’s armed defense book, I just couldn’t resist. Trust me: without Shideler, the book you hold in your hands would not have been published. Thank you, Dan!

  So many people pitched in to help illustrate this book that listing any one name opens up the danger that some will not be listed. The photographic illustrations are the work of the men behind the cameras: Grant Cunningham and Bob Jackson, without whom we would be facing dull pages of unrelieved type; Jacqueline Smith and Kathy Jackson (and several of her sons) willingly played a number of roles in varied scenarios; and folks helping out with other photos include the mom and daughter duo of Katie and Laurisa; Chris Cunningham; the Rahbani brothers; consummate “bad guy” Don Stahlnecker; Heath, McKenzie and Brady Gunns; Brenden Shellito, who generously opened his home to our photo crew; Tom and Diane Walls; Amy and Tycho Vosburgh; Jim Jacobe; and a goodly number of friends and students at the Firearms Academy of Seattle, Inc. who agreed to be photographed while they were training with us.

  Any photos in which guns are pointed at role players use dummy guns, aluminum or plastic
castings that have the general shape of a gun, or SIG Sauer’s excellent Airsoft pistols, of which we make extensive use. We also use the tripod and remote controls for the camera in a number of live fire illustrations, to give the reader a different view of technique or equipment than is normally available.

  But enough about the process. Let’s get into the topic—how women can live safer lives! Thank you for your interest in this topic. It is my hope that the information in these pages can help you provide for your safety and that of your family.

  Gila Hayes

  January 28, 2009

  CHAPTER 1

  Women’s Rights and Responsibilities

  I grew up with my mother’s repertoire of fears: attack by strangers, kidnapping, rape, and other violence by men against women. She warned my sister and me to avoid strangers, to keep window shades down and never go out alone at night.

  Yet never was there any mention of fighting back. We were taught to behave quietly, dress modestly and pray that you do not attract criminal attention. Our training was in avoidance; we had no game plan if evasion failed. Girls weren’t taught how to fight, even in last-ditch self defense. We feared violence but weren’t allowed to respond in kind.

  Women now realize that rape and assault can happen to anyone, anywhere. Many women have wondered what they could do if attacked, and, finding no satisfactory answers, have tried to ignore the worry. It is unrealistic to hope that some good fortune will separate us from the estimated 50% of American women who are physically assaulted sometime in their lifetimes.1

  Who’s responsible?

  In a world where women are responsible for earning their own living and often are sole support of their children, it is ironic that we have not fully embraced complete responsibility for our own self defense. Self-defense instructors report that the women most reluctant to acknowledge dangers and learn defensive tactics (whether a martial art or the handgun) are those who feel secure in their marriage or relationship. Newly single women, they tell me, are among their most enthusiastic students. It makes perfect sense: the newly independent person learns to enjoy many fresh challenges. Providing for her own survival offers much in strength, positive self-image and pride.

  Relying on Uncle Sam

  Gun control proponents want Americans to relinquish their weapons and rely on the government for protection, and unfortunately some of the loudest voices in the antigun campaign are female. Realistically, however, police forces are employed to patrol, maintain peace, and investigate crimes after the fact. Rarely do circumstances allow officers to stop a crime in progress.

  This truth was emphasized way back in 1975, when three Washington, D.C women were raped, sodomized, and terrorized for fourteen hours in their home. A call went out to police in the initial moments of the attack. When four cruisers arrived at the home, the assailant prevented the women from answering the door and after five minutes the officers left. A second call received a promise of help on the way. Later investigation determined that officers were never dispatched to answer the second plea for help.

  Fortunately, the women survived. Lawsuits ensued, and in 1981 the Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C., ruling on Warren v. District of Columbia, wrote that under American law the “government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any individual citizen.”2

  Too many women have been killed or injured while learning the bitter lesson that their restraining order is merely legal protection, not bodily defense. In 1989, a Los Angeles woman called 911 when threatened by her estranged husband, against whom she had a restraining order. When the dispatcher asked sarcastically if she expected a patrol car to park outside her home, Maria Navarro hung up. Within 30 minutes, a second call to 911 reported the murder of Navarro and a guest who was in her home to celebrate Navarro’s birthday. Before police officers could arrive, her estranged husband killed another guest.

  With a government that controls so many aspects of our lives, it is easy to understand how some come to believe themselves entitled to constant protection. Such expectations ignore estimates that the ratio of police officers to citizens is about 2.4 per 1000.3 Realistically, no police department can respond instantly to every citizen’s need, no matter how great an effort the officers make.

  Learning to Be a Mother Wolf

  When we rely on police and others to defend us, we perpetuate a society that perceives, trains, and treats women as unequal and as victims. When women are stereotyped as meek, defenseless prey, all women—from the bravest to the most timid—are are targets of victimization by strangers, acquaintances or mates.

  To be female is to give life to the next generation. Instead of blindly accepting the traditional role of the weaker female, we must expand the feminine role to include defending life, as well as giving it birth. That means, after deliberation and training, that each woman should learn defenses against anyone who would injure her or take her life or harm those in her care, even if that defense entails taking or threatening the attacker’s life.

  The key is personal determination. Even the best self-defense weapon would be worthless without a woman’s individual determination to preserve her own life and well-being at the expense of her assailant’s life, if necessary.

  If more women were willing to spill the blood of an assailant before sacrificing their own lives, I believe we would encounter fewer men who are willing to risk injury or death for the gratification they achieve by abuse, rape and murder. In a survey published in 1986, over a third of felons questioned said they worried about being shot by their intended prey, and more than half agreed that “most criminals are more worried about meeting an armed victim than they are about running into the police.”4

  Be a human version of mother wolf, willing to do whatever it takes to avoid harm to self or family. Here, responding to an unexpected knock at the door, Amy is ready for whatever is there.

  In my ideal world, anyone who assaults, terrorizes, or exploits a woman would run up against an individual of equal or superior defensive ability. How can this dream come true, when the female gender is physically smaller than the male? Disparity of force is ultimately balanced by mindset—the determination to defend one’s life—and by training and acquiring the appropriate tools to support that determination.

  The bottom line? We are individually responsible for our own survival and well-being. Just as a healthy woman exercises and eats wholesome food, a woman needs to prepare herself for the eventuality that she may need to defend herself and her loved ones against assault. Until we embrace our responsibility to survive, we continue to fuel the violence and abuse that threaten our peace and safety.

  Notes

  1Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women, citing finding of the National Violence Against Women Survey, reported by the Department of Justice in November 2000.

  2Warren v. Dist. of Columbia, D.C. App., 444 A.2d 1 (1981).

  3Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime Report, www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/

  4Wright, J. & Rossi, P., Armed and Considered Dangerous: A Survey of Felons and their Firearms (1986), published by Aldine de Guyter Press; based on data from a survey formerly released by the National Institute of Justice.

  CHAPTER 2

  Developing a Safety-Conscious Attitude

  Animals wisely put their physical survival before other considerations. Far more in touch with survival instincts than are we, the so-called “lesser creatures” often avoid danger with greater skill. Humans are tempted to deny the existence of danger or, if we do admit it, we usually follow it up with “I know, but—”

  “—but I can’t afford a reliable car.”

  “—but I can’t afford an apartment in a safe, secure building.”

  “—but I can’t pay for self defense training and a weapon.”

  Others who acknowledge the risk stop training short of the level of skill required to deal with a determined assailant. Early in m
y karaté training, I hoped I could fight off a one-on-one assault, although I was worried that two or more assailants could overpower me. I had to be thrown to the mat a number of times before acknowledging that at that skill level, I could easily be overcome by just one. I needed more skills and additional weapon choices.

  After a woman acknowledges the danger, she needs to obtain the skills and weapons that will allow her to go where she needs while still behaving with reasonable safety. What choices will she make that give her the maximum safety with the least restrictions? A hermit-like withdrawal from the daily threats of modern living is rarely practical or satisfactory. Instead, I am advising a critical, realistic assessment of your world and pragmatic decisions based on its dangers.

  Judith Weiss, a self-defense instructor I met through our mutual membership in the American Women’s Self-Defense Association (now the Association for Women’s Self-Defense Advancement1), offers the following explanation:

  “All activities (driving a car, filling the bathtub, walking through the parking lot at night) entail some risk. We all have different attitudes toward risk. At one end of the scale is refusing to engage in an activity by exaggerating the risk involved. At the other end is engaging in very risky activities while refusing to take any precautions. Neither of these attitudes is useful for living an empowered life. What is useful is to accurately assess the risks involved, take whatever precautions make sense, and live as fully as possible.”

  Women of all ages, even these high schoolers, choose the image they present to the world. One cries out for attention from one and all, the other suggests self-confidence and control.