GIVING WOMEN A

FIGHTING CHANCE

AGAINST VIOLENT

CRIME AND DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE

Concealed Weapon Laws are

Proven to Reduce Crime

While I am pleased that my Republicans Against Domestic Violence campaign succeeded in getting the issue back on the County Council agenda here in Montgomery County, I am disappointed that important changes in the law are not being considered.

I have quite a list, but one of those I'd like to talk about today is a new law that would give women the right to carry a concealed firearm.

This right, of course, is already theirs. It is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Of course, as you know, that right has been infringed upon by liberal governments across this country.

But I'd like to speak to not only those of you who - like me - believe in our right to bear arms, but also to those of you who favor strict gun control.

I believe we can give women the right to carry a concealed weapon and have an increase in public safety, and a decrease in violent crime against women. Is this new protection needed?, you might ask.

The answer is, Yes!

A series of horrific, violent attacks and sexual assaults against women in the county and state just recently vindicate the need for just such a law.

This month, at The Cheesecake Factory in White Flint Mall, a woman was sexually assaulted in the ladies room by a restaurant employee.

Recently, a 34-year-old Laurel woman was shot twice in the face. She had a protective order against the man who shot her.

And just two weeks ago, another Laurel woman, 21, was abducted and raped by 3 men in a red SUV. She was abducted in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, which is known as a high-crime area. The men dropped her off in the 7200 block of Muncaster Road.

All of these crimes were monstrous. And, clearly, current law was insufficient to protect these 3 women.

Unlike our elected officials, I am not content to let the status quo continue. With violent crime on the increase, and sure to worsen as the economy does, women need to have the right to defend themselves.

A concealed firearm could have made a huge difference in many cases, including the three above.

Any law-abiding woman over the age of 18 should have the right to carry a concealed weapon. With the proper training and the right handgun, women who would like this option would now have a formidable line of defense against the vile villains and domestic abusers who would do them harm.

And since women are rarely the perpetrators of gun violence, this is one new law that gun control activists cannot justifiably oppose.

While I hope that Democrats in Annapolis will reverse their shameful course and pass new domestic violence laws this year, the ones on the drawing board are simply insufficient. The law to seize all firearms hardly guarantees that a domestic abuser would not obtain a firearm illegally.

Let's put forward a bolder, proactive agenda on domestic violence. One that empowers women, and prevents crime before it is committed. That has to be the goal in the future if we are going to make a difference.