Conceal carry permits among Florida women doubles in the last four years

More permits to protect yourself – the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said it is seeing a rise in applicants for concealed carry licenses among women.

Dawn Eisnhauer wants safety in her own hands. That is why she got a concealed carry permit.

“My girls were getting older; I’m a business owner, I really felt the need to protect the women closest to me and myself,” Eisenhauer said. “I don’t want to have to depend on someone else to protect me in a situation.”

The department said in 2014, nearly 288,000 women had concealed carry permits. Four years later, that number has nearly doubled. Among those women now packing is Laurie Posey.

“I like to have something to protect myself should the situation arise,” Posey said, “because as you see in the news, there’s always something going on today.”

Women with sentiments similar to Posey sparked the formation of “The Well Armed Woman.” The group’s goal is to educate women about gun safety and provide training.

Shelia Rosario, the Cape Coral chapter leader, said there is a lot of bad things happening when big groups of people congregate.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” Rosario said.

If used properly, guns can provide safety and a sense of security. That is the reason more women are going out and getting permits.

Aaron Forum, the owner of Shoot Center, agrees.

“In my opinion, the only thing that will save you in a situation where the attacker is more powerful than the victim is a weapon of some kind,” Forum said. “For most people, a firearm is the most practical weapon to use.”