Posted on 03/11/2005 2:48:45 PM PST by neverdem
Letter to the editor:
Bravo. A standing ovation for Deborah Courtney, the rape victim who has learned how to defend herself with her Glock 9 mm. She redefines the term "gun control" ["Steady aim, steel will," News, March 5].
With the all-too-frequent incidence of rape-murders, it is hard to believe there are women who would voluntarily disarm themselves - the Million Mom March, Sarah Brady, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the San Francisco anti-gun crusaders.
These horrendous crimes against women continue. The police learn of the crimes only after the victims' bodies are found, often long after. The number of victims mounts while the rapists, unidentified, continue their grisly deeds.
Every day, my drive takes me past the place where Denise Huber was abducted after her car broke down on the freeway late at night. Months later her frozen body was discovered in a freezer in Arizona. I always say a little prayer for Denise and wish she had had a small revolver in her purse or on her person. Even the most depraved rapist will back off while staring into the barrel of a pistol.
Let's hope Courtney's example will inspire a new women's crusade and that the right of law-abiding people to carry firearms will become the law in this state.
William R. Anderson, Costa Mesa
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
If you're not registered, and refuse to, try bugmenot.com
DiFi may not carry a gun, but I betcha she doens't go to the bathroom without an armed escort.
IIRC, she has a permit for concealed carry.
Then why is she anti-gun? They're good enough for her, but not for anyone else?
Because she's a hypocritical democRAT and tyrant.
As Ann Coulter is so fond of saying "...liberals think that they ARE God." It's too dangerous to let the rest of us have guns. We might use them to resist the liberal agenda.
BUMP
It's difficult for some people to understand that the police cannot do one thing to prevent someone from perpetrating a crime upon someone else.
At best they can find the perpetrator and 'perhaps' get them off the street but that does little for the victim.
Your personal defense is totally your own responsiility...like it or not.
Don`t forget Hillary Clinton fan Sen.Carolyn McCarthy of New York who decided to make a political career on the fact that her husband was slaughtered and her son shot like fish in barrel on the Long Island railroad by psychotic egotist Colin Furgeson in 1993.
Carolyn seemed to forget that if it wasn`t for a few brave men who tackled Mr.Furgeson while he was reloading, her son might have been killed and a hell of a lot more people as well. How far does she think Mr. Furgeson would have gone if the majority of Long Island railroad passengers were able to practice their 2nd amendment Constitutional right while Mr. Furgeson was getting his rocks off?
Maybe she should take a good look at guitarist, Daryll "Dimebag" Abbot who was shot and killed recently on stage by another psychotic who was only stopped from killing more by sheer luck when a police officer passing by blew the prick away before he could get off another shot.
Guns don`t kill, Ms. McCarthy, PSYCHOS kill if you haven`t heard. Maybe Carolyn should also take a good look at the Happyland fire in New York city in 1990 that killed EIGHTY SEVEN people when another psycho decided to flood the only entrance of the club with gasoline and light it on fire. My oh my, look at the ban on gasoline! Too bad no one was armed to take that prick out Ms. McCarthy while they watched him try to light the match, right? Too bad those kids in Columbine had to hide under their desks because fools like you took away their constitutional RIGHT!
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the PEOPLE to keep and bear arms, shall NOT be infringed!!!
The Morning Read: Steady aim, steel will
Assault transformed a mortgage broker into an advocate for victims' rights.
ORANGE – It was shooting time, and Deborah Courtney politely excused herself to reapply her deep pink lipstick. She headed to the ladies room, black Prada purse in hand. She arrived at the indoor shooting range in a black suit and wine-colored blouse, patterned black nylons and black boots with 4-inch heels. Sort of the stylishly functional business look she had the day she was raped nearly five years ago. The brutal sexual assault transformed Courtney into one of Orange County's most tireless advocates for victims' rights and a well-known Second Amendment activist who supports the right of women to defend themselves by using firearms as "equalizers." Her lipstick reapplied, Courtney pulled some neon-pink earplugs out of an Elizabeth Arden cosmetics case and wrapped her manicured fingers around the barrel of "Rock,'' her 9 mm Glock. "Oh, I forget to breathe," Courtney told instructor T.J. Johnston after firing at a target 15 feet away at Evan's Gunsmithing World in Orange. "Inhale as you bring (the gun) up, exhale and then fire," Johnston corrected her. Courtney relishes her role as a "girly girl" shooter in a male-dominated arena, but her aim is dead serious. In addition to pushing to strengthenMegan's Law by requiring that information on convicted sex offenders be posted on the Internet, she advocates making it easier for Californians to obtain concealed-weapons permits. "This is about much more than me becoming proficient in firearms just for the hell of it," said Courtney, a 44-year- old mortgage broker. "This is about empowering women to be able to defend themselves, rather than becoming victims of crime. "Sometime I get angry that I have to spend all this time doing (advocacy), but God puts good people in bad places sometimes to see how they handle the adversity, and to see if they will rise up to the challenge of helping others." The Orange County Register does not identify victims of sexual assault, but Courtney granted permission for this story. Her desire to put a face on female victims of violent crime has won kudos. "She truly has a passion for changing the way victims are traditionally viewed, and her entire paradigm is turning victims into victors," says Judi Fouladi, a criminal-defense attorney who met Courtney through the Aliso Viejo Republican Women Federation. "Deborah's entire focus is assisting those who are primarily in a psychological state of extreme emotional trauma, and giving them a sense of hope and the future." The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder when Courtney put her Glock back into her black nylon range bag, next to her gun belt with the rhinestone-flower buckle. 'GOD's PLAN' Courtney used to believe in karma, but not anymore. "What the hell did I do to deserve being raped?" she said as she drove her Mercedes E320 to a Garden Grove City Council meeting recently to speak about a "Victim's Bill of Rights" she is pushing with Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange. "Now I believe it was all part of God's plan," said Courtney, sporting a new diamond stud in her left nostril. The future victim's rights advocate was adopted into a well-to-do family in La Habra. Courtney's father is retired from the printing business. Her mother, who died two years ago, focused on raising her and three brothers. Firearms weren't a big part of Courtney's life, although she shot squirrels with BB guns while growing up and has gone with boyfriends to the desert for target practice. Just two days before she was raped, Courtney visited a gun store. She had become fearful of showing houses in remote areas - a fear fueled by childhood memories of a movie about a real-estate agent getting raped and killed. "I honestly thought you could just go in and buy a gun," said Courtney, who was surprised to learn about a 10-day waiting period. She did not buy a gun that day because of a required test on firearms safety. On April 8, 2000, just before closing time at 5 p.m., a parolee and twice-convicted rapist, Douglas Lee Hopper, walked into Carbon Creek Realty in Brea and schmoozed with employees. Soon everyone left except Courtney. The exterior of the office was set up to look like an open house, and Hopper had been to other open houses that day looking for a victim, police said. He attacked Courtney in a room, holding a box cutter to her throat. Courtney said she focused on remaining calm during the 10-minute rape as she thought of ways to kill Hopper, who was wearing an electronic monitoring device. A few minutes after the rape, Hopper was arrested. He is serving two life terms for the rape - his "third strike" - and the sexual assault of another real-estate agent in Fullerton in 1999. Courtney said that if she had had a gun that day, she would have defended herself. She now owns three guns and recently finished an instructor-level course at a "medium advanced" rating. PREPARED Courtney would like all women to embrace guns as tools for self-defense. She bristles at the term "gun nut," preferring "gun enthusiast." She wants women to be prepared when bad guys attack. Shortly after Courtney was raped, her fiancé left her, partially blaming her for the attack, she said. Courtney felt disconnected from the criminal-justice process, believing only the rights of suspects are emphasized. Enter the Victim's Bill of Rights, a concept presented six months ago to lawmaker Spitzer by Patricia Wenskunas, 35, of Irvine, who survived a murder attempt. The plan calls for having victims of crimes presented with a card explaining their rights as victims and listing agencies to call to guide them through the justice system. The thinking is that since all suspects are read their Miranda rights, why can't victims be reminded of theirs? Courtney, Wenskunas and Spitzer are going city to city, making presentations before Crime Victims Week in April. So far they are seven-for- seven, with city councils in San Clemente, Laguna Woods, Orange, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita and Westminster agreeing to support the plan in concept or outright. "I'm not asking you to feel sorry for me," Courtney told members of the Orange and Garden Grove city councils on a recent weeknight. "I'm asking you to help the other victims who will come after me." Driving back home, Courtney talked of her dashed plans of marrying and having kids. She hopes that still will happen. For now, Courtney, a Cal State Fullerton graduate who grew up wanting to become a TV "weather girl," is watching her back. Said Fouladi, her friend: "You don't want to go knocking on Deborah's door late at night."
The Orange County Register
SAS bump.
"Then why is she anti-gun? They're good enough for her, but not for anyone else?"
Exactly. Who do you think you are?
/extreme sarcasm
I don't know who her instructor is but I hope he doesn't mind having his picture posted. :-) I suppose if they are allowed to take pictures that they don't mind them getting out.
that's no bodyguard. that's her personal butt wiper.
Many years ago, a nutjob who escaped a nearby hospital started breaking up our restaurant and came around the counter after me. Our janitor, who was a cop working a second job, only saw this guy heading towards me and yelled at him to stop and all that. He didn't attempt to physically stop the guy until the maniac had his hands on my throat. THEN he finally jumped the guy. He had to keep this loon pinned down for 20 minutes until the county mounties got there to help out. It took three of them to handcuff the guy, four to get him in the patrol car.
Later, I asked my hero why he didn't attempt to stop the guy before he got to me. He said, legally, he hadn't seen the nutjob do anything other than walk around the counter after me. So he couldn't do anything until the loon actually touched me.
I learned a lot of serious lessons from that one. The biggest one was you can NOT count on the police to protect you. I was incredibly blessed that our janitor was there that night because I would be six feet under if he hadn't been there. But I know better than to rely on getting through to 911 or the LEO to arrive on time. 20 minutes seemed like forever that night.
Lock and load, THEN call 911.
Thank you for that mental image--blech!
Make that, "We WILL use them to resist the liberal agenda."
That's what they truly fear.
Her instructor is T.J.Johnston, as was mine. He is the only Master Training Counselor for the NRA and has his own self defense training co. http://www.allsafedefense.com/
>>>Just two days before she was raped, Courtney visited a gun store.
...........
"I honestly thought you could just go in and buy a gun," said Courtney, who was surprised to learn about a 10-day waiting period. She did not buy a gun that day because of a required test on firearms safety. <<<
why can't someone like this attempt to sue the State for Infringement on their Right to Keep and Bear arms? she seems to have as good a case as any.. i'd send her money to help with the lawyer fees.. this is blatently unconstitutional.
do you know what Mr. Johnson is holding in his hand?
It looks like the timer that we use in our clubs competitions.
A competition timer would be my guess. It emits a loud beep and stats to time the shooter when the RSO starts it and times the course of fire. Really helps to improve speed and accuracy.
Carolyn McCarthy is an imbecile of the highest order. Just another reason I left NY State - mental midget Long Islanders who turn the murder of a spouse & the injury of a child into the biggest break in their lives.
She is devoid of original thoughts, and the 'former Republican' nurse/housewife falls nicely in line with her democRAT handlers in Congress. No surprise.
I actually had a biting letter printed in the NY post shortly after she won, where I call her every name in the book. Amazingly, and perhaps the first time in history, the NY Post, edited my letter down (sloppily) to actually make it less extreme! If I can find it I will scan & post!
thanks guys,
"Even the most depraved rapist will back off while staring into the barrel of a pistol."
All a perp should see is a muzzle flash.
You know, if this piece of scum's first intended victim had carried a gun, she would have prevented three rapes. And given our country's sick "revolving door" justice system, that will soon be the only way to get the scum off the streets the way they deserve - permanently.
Kate Beckinsale
Jennifer Garner
Linda Hamilton
"An armed society is a polite society." (Robert Anson Heinlein).
Even if we all carried little .22 caliber mouse-guns, that would give the bad people something to fear.
Now I'm looking for a small wheelgun for concealed carry. Though I live in the People's Republic of Maryland, my instructor says that I have an excellent case for getting a ccw permit granted here, and he is going to walk me through the process. He's helped a number of Maryland slaves get CCW permits.
I love my gun. Still, recommendations for a little revolver are welcome. Tried a small five-shot Taurus last weekend and it hurt my fingers.
Anything by Smith and Wesson.
go with a .38 J-frame.
.32 is just too dinky.
And her 9mm Glock!
Now that's my kind of shooter!
Stick with a small snub 5 shot S&W or the Taurus 85 style carry rig . If it hurt yer pinkies then have a gun counter commando let ya try different after market grips from hogue, pachymeyr, uncle mikes, etc etc ....change your grip but the small snub 38's or a 357 Mag's are a very good self defense rig for all.
Change the grips untill you find one ya like.....also was that taurus a 357 Mag or a .38 Special only ?
Who's that?
Might as well explain the photos. I'm bored and I still had some time before I could make some phone calls. Besides, it's Friday and a good day for some gun porn.
"Now I believe it was all part of God's plan," said Courtney
First, it suggests that God actually wanted the criminal to rape her. Second, it absolves the criminal of his personal responsibility in the crime: after all, he could then argue that he was just carrying out God's plan.
I don't see it that way. There's a verse about God taking what was meant to be evil and turning it into good. She may be thinking the same way in that He's using her and her experience to help other women learn the need to defend themselves and their families.
I have a Ruger SP-101 (.38 special) and I think it's great. I live in NJ so I can't carry in public, but I always carried while on the range and occasionally around the house. The extra weight is comforting in a way - and if you run out of ammo it makes a good bludgeon.
Best thing to do is keep trying different revolvers, and keep in mind that the grips can be changed as well.
As far as caliber, you'll want to go with the largest one you can control. A .357 mag sounds impressive, but it isn't going to do you any good if you can't hit anything with it. It's the shot placement that counts.
I wish you all the best, and I applaud you for taking the steps to ensure your own safety. You also have a wonderful resource here at FR, so any time you have a question all you need to do is start a thread or use the FR mail.
Ordinarily I would be dragging the dear Browning around with me but I'm slender and could not conceal it on my person. It really is a big gun.
Nah, I think it just means that God can bring good things out of even the most disastrous and horrible circumstances. "All things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose."
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