Protecting Myself

A

Alyssa Marcia

Inactive
I was attacked in the womans bathroom a couple weeks ago at the mall. The guy locked the door with the intention of raping me. When I tried to mace him he grabed my arm and turned it down and all i could spray was his shirt, so it was of absolutely no use. He cut my arm with a knife pretty deep, 10 stitches. I then kicked him in the crotch and ran. When I came back with mall security he was gone. I have since then been looking into buying a personal hand gun for self deffense. I have been looking at the Browning Pro-9, I dont know much about guns but I know that I want to deffend myself, and this seems like a good gun to have. I was also wondering about consealed weapon laws in IL and how i may obtain one. Other than that, I will be moving to California in a year or so, and I was wondering about the same laws over there. Could any of you give me information on that, and also what you think of the gun I want to buy, and/or if you would suggest a better one.
 
I am sorry to hear of your ordeal. Sounds like you handled yourself expertly. I have no idea of the laws in IL or CA (except CA is pitiful in regards to gun control.) I doubt a handgun would have helped you in that situation given the angle of the pepper spray and twist of your arm, but who knows what the future holds.

I'd get something like a 2.25" SP101 (Ruger revolver 357) for conceled carry, but I'm partial to revolvers. A 357 can shoot 38 specials which are a really light load or 38+p and 357s.

There are plenty of options. Get what fits you the best. Take a class and you will have offers to shoot several guns.
 
First, welcome to TFL! :) I hope you will stick around.

Second, a thumbs-up on your reaction.

As for IL and CA CCW laws, I would check Packing.org .

For a handgun, the Browning would work fine, as might the revolver suggestion. I admit I am not too keen on revolvers for SD, because of the limited ammunition capacity, or the .357 cartridge (very loud for the KO power), but they do have a good track record, and if you find one that fits you better than the Browning, go for it. However, I am by no means an expert on handguns. You might post your question in the General Handguns section. Also, if you have friends or relatives who own/shoot handguns, you might ask to go with them on their next shooting trip, to get the feel of firearms.

What might have helped you more was better situational awareness. You saw the guy come in and lock the door, you should have had the mace out and ready by then.
 
Actually, i never saw him come in, I heard the door open and someone close it and lock it, but I was still in the stall, I couldnt see anything but his shoes when he started pounding on the stall door. I was quite aware of the situation, I had the mace ready when I came out of the stall, but he was just too strong. Well thanks to the link you gave me, it seems I'm the wrong state to deffend myself in a public place. Even when I move to california, I have to have a specific party that I'm deffending myself from such as an ex, stalker, etc. I still wonder if there are ways to get around things like that, it is unacceptable that I should not be permited to protect myself. As a woman I do not have the strength to fight off an attacker, I am seaking whatever I feel nessary to protect myself. Do you by any chance know if a stun gun is considered a consealed weapon? I dont even need a permit to own one.
 
Sorry Alyssa, Illinois doesn't believe you have the right to protect yourself in that way. If you carry a gun loaded and ready with you in public you'll be the criminal. Odd isn't it. The closest you can come is carrying a gun unloaded without the magazine in it, in a container designed for holding a gun, such as a fanny pack holster. And even then its possible you'll have problems with the police. I would read this forum http://illinoiscarry.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=282 some as there is some excellent advice there.

If someone could grab your arm and turn it down, that sounds like it might have been a dangerous way to loose control of a gun though anyway. Some self defense classes and some quality pepper spray like fox labs might be a good idea to consider also given our laws here.

Glad you made it out relatively unharmed.
 
OK, ignore my part on situational awareness. For clarification, did you open the door, or did he open it?

BTW, have you considered martial arts classes?
 
I am a busy college student, and do not have the time to add a self deffence class to my list. I would however be able to attend a seminar or two about such things, but it would be more effective attending a couple hour gun seminar than a martial arts seminar which takes months of practice. I probably should have mentioned that I have handled my grandpa's guns before and know my way around the gun world a little bit, so I feel I already have knoledge in the field, that is how I have decided on the Pro-9.
 
If you are moving to any of the big cities in Calif, a CCW is harder to obtain. However, some of the rural counties still give them out.

What part of California are you moving to?
 
damn that IL law. Sure this is an irrational comment, but its as if lawmakers dont care if women can deffend themselves. We aren't violent people, we just want to protect ourselves. I am going to move to the suburbs outside of San Diego, I know that crime isnt as bad as in LA, but crime isnt bad here where I live in the burbs outside of Chicago, and I still got attacked.
 
What brand of mace were you carrying? From what I can tell that seems to make a huge difference. In the reading I've done it seems like a quality pepper spray like the fox labs stuff has a much better chance of doing what you want than something you picked up at walmart. Take a look here http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=415137 for an example. Perhaps a 2oz can of flip top fogger would be good to have in your purse.
 
I hope you are ok

I hope they get the guy the did that. I liked the first guys idea. go with a small revolver or semi. 9mm and 38 easily controllable.
 
Its sad what happened to you but politicans dont really care bout the little guys, or in your case the girls. Write letters to everyone, members of the community, your college, NRA and try to bring the subject into the open. Get supporters and maybe the damn politicans will eventually change the law. In regards to what gun you should carry, if you have no experience with handguns I would suggest a small revolver. Their easier to maintain and handle than most semi-autos and generally easier to conceal for women. Defitently attend a self-defense class if you can, avoid those lame ass "martial arts" stuff that come dime a dozen, for each real class there are 20 more bad ones. Research what class and ask members what they think of it. In regards to the actions you took, it would have been better to stay inside the stall.
 
Alyssa,

Good to hear you fought back and overcame that one. Don't stay in Illinois, and don't move to California. Move to a State like Vermont - you do not need any paper to carry a pistol there.
 
Well im not going to live somewhere depending on my right to carry a gun, im not gonna let fear keep me from doing what I want with my life, and that includes where I live. I was using the fox labs mace by the way, and it doesnt matter how effective of a chemical it is if the guy turns my hand away, I ended up getting his sholder all wet. As far as losing control of a gun the same way, I do believe that if I shot him in the sholder in self deffence the ordeal would end right there. Last time I tried to write a letter to the government, me and my friends all did it together. We all recieved the exact same photo copy letter saying that our congressmen would do their best to represent us, so basicly it was a, "ok, we get it, blah blah, some bull****, have a nice day."
 
Alyssa Marcia glad your situation did not end worse

I am sorry to hear that that incident happened to you. I am happy to hear that you, except for the cut, is ok.

Before this incident, did you ever use the pepper spray? Did you ever test it out? It might be a good idea to test it outside when its calm so you can guage the effective distance of the stream.

You may consider carrying a knife of your own. I think you should get training on how to use it well. Since you don't have plans in the near future to live in a gun friendly state, your choices are very limited.

Stay safe
 
Welcome to the board. I would like to suggest two things. One, that you make an attempt to attend a “Refuse to be a victim” seminar in your area. NRA volunteers conduct these seminars. My wife recently attended one (she is a shooter) and learned a wealth of information that I wasn’t even aware of (another lesson learned). Two, that you attend a “Woman on target clinic” also by the NRA. It is possible that nether of these would have helped your situation but the first instructs you on various options open to you, how to protect yourself in your home, car and other areas. The second will teach you familiarity and safety with a firearm. There are specific seminars in Rifle. Pistol and shotgun and airgun and I would suggest pistol. Both can be taken on a weekend (1 day) and should not interfere with your college schedule.

I and an NRA instructor and I have been involved with the WOT program since it’s inception and I have found that most women enjoy shooting sports as much as men. Given that woman represent 50% of the population it is imperative that we bring as many of them into the shooting community as possible. I believe that is the only way we will protect our 2 amendment rights. Countless woman like yourself are now questioning our gun law that prohibit law abiding citizens to protect themselves from criminal elements. I hope you stick around, join the shooting sports, become an activist and bring more women into the sports. When I started there were one or two women in our area conducting the programs with the men, now the women run it and I now volunteer my time at the line at these events for one on one instruction on the firing line. Good luck and I am glad your safe.

http://www.nrahq.org/women/
 
I'm wondering how the guy could lock the door as public bathrooms in mall's require a key to lock, and usually from the outside. If he so easily overpowered you for your mace, I'm not so sure a gun would have faired much better in your case. A moot point as the places you choose to live don't allow you to carry, pepper spray as Soybomb suggests is the best alternative. And go in pairs as women tend to do, its not safe alone.
 
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