daughters going to college

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joeowens47@yahoo.com

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need some advice as to what to buy her to carry for protection .she has shot a fair amout of guns with me .looking at the new s/w 38 body guard?they say most problems girls in shcool have are by some one they know .a horney boy.i just want them to be able to back up no means no .thnaks yall
 
Dad of Gator graduate here.

First question is what does she want? What does she feel comfortable carrying?

My girl was at UF when the Gainesville Slasher was running around.
She CCW'd her 1911. Her friends carried anything from .22 derringers to other .45's and everything inbetween.

Just check out the school rules particularly if she's going to be living in a dorm.
And tell her to never, ever got to a frat parrty. My girl was dating the president of the frat and he wouldn't let her come to a party. They wound up getting married.

She's going to have a blast and you're going to go crazy.

AFS
 
Most college campuses don't allow firearms. While I hope this changes after incidents like the Virginia Tech shooting, she needs to follow the law. I would get a good can of pepper spray or Mace and have her carry it everywhere. I think Tasers are also a good option for colleges, but they are bulky and hard to carry.

I would also have he look into some women's self defense classes. My wife took a class when she was in college (and I got to be their punching bag). While it won't make them a MMA champion, it does offer lots of valuable and practical advice. Some of those things include situational awareness, watching out for traps, and building self confidence. Hopefully she has a good head on her shoulders and you did your job early on. Most problems can be avoided by not hanging out with the wrong people or going to wrong places.
 
+1 to AirForceShooter

It's really what ever she feels comfortable carrying and practicing with. If she feels ok with carrying a full size 1911 then by all means get her one. I like the idea of a S&W body guard for a purse or small carry bag for a woman.

I would check with the LEOs and the school to see what the current rules are. This is most important.

If for some reason carrying a firearm is not possible then Kimber just introduced their "Guardian Angel". It's a powerful little pepper blaster that fits the hand like a pistol. Good Luck!
 
Don't ever go to a frat party? Good luck with that one! There's nothing wrong with going to frat parties - just go with friends and stay out of any frat bedrooms - that's where girls get into trouble.

FWIW, when I was in college, I kept a handgun and a rifle in my dorm room. No, it was not permitted, but I did it anyway. This was stupid. I always worried about the RA searching my room and finding the guns and the stress of that wasn't worth it! Nor was it worth the possiblity of getting kicked out of college over this.

Now, I did try to store my rifle at the campus police station - however it ended up getting a little rust on it, and that was the reason I kept it in my dorm room rather than at the campus police station. In any event no one knew that I had a handgun and a rifle - kept them well hidden and kept my mouth shut. And, I didn't ever carry the handgun.

The best thing a girl can do, before going to college, is learn to fight. Pepper spray isn't a bad idea either. Cell phone is obviously important. I like stun-guns too, but only if the girl knows how to fight and use a weapon. Just my thoughts on this.
 
Some campuses (mine included) don't allow pepper spray and stun guns, tasers, etc, are banned by state law for civilian carry. Another (and I know redundant) call to check your state laws and campus regulations. Interestingly my campus does allow folding knives as long as they are under 3 inches and non-folders under 4 inches. But remember that using a knife in self-defense takes tons of training.

As far as a firearm, I'd like to again make another call to let her try some different firearms. Many women like the simplicity of revolvers but some are drawn to the smooth lines of some semis (Walther PPK comes to mind). Mode of carry is also a huge issue for woman, as many don't want to errr... "expand their figure at the waist" in order to carry a firearm.
 
as far as I know unless you are in Utah the school is allowed to limit or ban the carry of fire arms.

There may be some other states that I don't know about.
 
Check the campus rules as well - typically they want defenseless victim zones, so the criminals can get easy work.
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Schools are allowing students to become victims for unecessary violence. Allowing students to carry would spark lots of debate, but the end result would benefit all. I mean, preventing just one assault / rape would make it all worth it. Allowing the teachers to carry would be awesome too.
 
Where is the school? If in Alabama "Only law enforcement officials may carry a pistol into a public school" and each county has the discretion of issue or not.

If elsewhere she would need a permit good for that state and possibly still not be able to carry because many have the same school zone type laws.
 
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Even if you decide to possibly break any rules or laws (which I don't recommend, but yeah, I'm a Dad too)- look at the college/university's website and go their Police Dept page. See if they have links to self defense training. A very popular program at a lot of insitutions now is RAD. I forget what the acronym stands for, but it's a self defense program where once the participant completes a 12 hr course- they are members for life and can return as often as they like for training or refresher courses.

Either way, shoot them an e-mail and ask about defense courses and programs. Learning defense not only teaches basic skills but it also builds confidence, situational awareness, agility, strength, ... and helps ward off those dreaded 'Freshman 15'.
 
I'm pretty sure firearms are a big no-no in most states. It's certainly not worth the risk, besides colleges can search cars, dorms, etc at their discretion. The best advice you can give your daughter is to stay away from parties, alcohol, drugs, and to just focus on getting good grades. The last I heard college was for getting an education.

By the way, there is no way you could ever, ever, EVER, EVER, get me to live in a college dorm.
 
Yeah, I doubt she will be allowed to carry a gun on campus or possess one if she lives in the dorms (not sure what the rules are for sororities). If she lives off-campus I would recommend whatever home-defense gun she is comfortable with. Tends to be lots of break-ins around colleges/ in college towns. A self-defense course that teaches situational awareness and basic self-defense skills (unless she has already done something similar). Pepper-spray and a folding knife are what I got my little sis.

PS- Whoever said tell her to stay away from parties- good luck. Part of college is socializing and meeting suitable partners of the opposite sex, like it or not. I'm not saying you guys aren't right- someone slipped my sister something in here drink, luckily she was with good friends and made it home relatively unscathed. That is another bit of advice, she should try to make a good core-group of girl (and boy friends) and they should make a point to look out for one another. Particularly at bigger schools that have giant wild parties. Ah, to be young again.
 
Even if you decide to possibly break any rules or laws (which I don't recommend, but yeah, I'm a Dad too)- look at the college/university's website and go their Police Dept page. See if they have links to self defense training. A very popular program at a lot of insitutions now is RAD. I forget what the acronym stands for, but it's a self defense program where once the participant completes a 12 hr course- they are members for life and can return as often as they like for training or refresher courses.

Either way, shoot them an e-mail and ask about defense courses and programs. Learning defense not only teaches basic skills but it also builds confidence, situational awareness, agility, strength, ... and helps ward off those dreaded 'Freshman 15'.
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RAD is a good start. The emphasis should be the refresher courses. Either that or join a martial arts school or enroll in self-defense classes. My wife took the RAD course. I was still able to get her though ;) . PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Otherwise don't waste your time. A false sense of security is a very dangerous thing!
 
If she's just starting college, chances are there are going to be significant obstacles to her possessing a handgun for self defense. If she's living on campus, don't even try it.
 
http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/alabama.pdf

it looks like you're ahead of the game; her age doesn't seem to be an issue and the state of AL only forbids CCW with regards to public schools from kindergarten thru highschool(obviously thats assuming your daughter is attending college in AL & this isn't considering the particular university or college CCW guidelines). Good idea. It sounds like she has weapons knowledge. Our first daughter will be here in 2 weeks, so I look forward to doing my part on this in the coming yrs.
 
Where is the school? If in Alabama "Only law enforcement officials may carry a pistol into a public school" and each county has the discretion of issue or not.

If elsewhere she would need a permit good for that state and possibly still not be able to carry because many have the same school zone type laws.
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LARRYFLEW,

it is up to the university laws/guidelines. the law you're speaking about is K-12th grade. Even if this college is public, his daughter qualifies to CCW(if she is at AL campus+depending on its laws).
 
If it's for her, let HER choose it! Until you choose her clothes, shoes, music, etc, you don't choose her gun.
Just as important, make sure she takes a GOOD course as well.
 
Wondering when or if it'll ever come to the point, that a prospective college student, picks his/her college over whether they can CCW or not? In this day and age, I'd think that'll some day be a deciding factor.
 
I recommend the Ruger LCR revolver. Super light weight, great light trigger pull, no slide to have to pull back, no not having to remember if there's one in the chamber or not, just pull the trigger.

THE best carry handgun for a woman.........period.
 
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