SWARM: Safety for Women And Responsible Motherhood. 
      Some interesting facts about women, guns and the right to bear arms.

                                                                                     

                                      POSITION STATEMENT

We strongly urge the legislatures of each state across the United States 
to support legislation which permits peaceable citizens to carry concealed 
firearms on a non-discriminatory, "shall-issue" basis. Establishing valid 
"need" for a permit should not require anything more than the citizen's 
desire to legally carry a firearm for self-defense.

WOMEN! PLEASE HELP US DEFEND OUR LIVES...

Safety for Women and Responsible Motherhood, Inc. (S.W.A.R.M.), a 
non-profit, non-partisan organization, is fighting to reform the present 
"good ol' boy" systems under which a few concealed firearms permits are 
issued to the friends of sheriffs and chiefs of police -- or not at all. 
Rest assured, women are hurt the most when private citizens aren't allowed 
the right to carry. Even if you aren't interested in carrying a firearm 
for self-defense, supporting the right of all women to choose how they can 
best defend themselves will keep your options open for self-defense in the 
future!

Each on us has the inalienable right to protect ourselves and our family 
from criminal violation. We recognize this as a natural right that can 
never be "granted" by law but we acknowledge that it is specifically 
protected by the United States Constitution.

The police are rarely able to protect private citizens from criminal attack, 
nor are they bound to do so. Both legally and practically speaking, at the 
moment of attack, the responsibility for personal and family safety rests 
entirely upon the shoulders of the private citizen (Bowers Vs De Vito, Warren 
vs. District of Columbia, Riss vs, City of New York ). We hold that this
responsibility increases exponentially when a woman has children who are 
dependent upon her.Furthermore, the right and responsibility of self and 
family defense necessarily includes the individual's right to choose the 
best tool for their defense. In an age of random violent crime, no
one -- not police chiefs, not sheriffs, not even a district attorney can 
predict how or when an innocent citizen will become the victim of violent 
criminal attack. Therefore, the law-abiding citizen MUST NOT be limited as 
to how or when they are allowed to resist it.  For obvious reasons, SWARM 
does not recommend the carrying of any self-defense tool whose
effectiveness requires physical contact with a criminal. Self-defense sprays 
have many dangerous disadvantages.

SWARM's criteria for the selection of an effective weapon of self-defense are:
1) The weapon must be effective at a sufficient distance, so the would-be 
victim is not forced to violate the First Rule of Safety:
KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE AND OBSTACLES BETWEEN YOU AND POTENTIAL
THREATS.

2) The effectiveness of a weapon MUST NOT BE RELIANT UPON THE PHYSICAL
STRENGTH OF THE USER.

MEETING BOTH OF THESE REQUIREMENTS, the gun has been proven to be THE MOST
EFFECTIVE TOOL for self-defense (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics [BJS], 1992).

* 75% of women will be victims of at least one violent crime in their 
lifetime. (Senate Judiciary Comm., Majority Staff; July 31, 1990; Koss, 
Woodruff & Koss --A Criminological Study 1990 )

* CIVIL DISABILITY: It is undeniable that most women are at a physical 
disadvantage to most men. If this were not true, rape would be an extremely 
rare occurrence. 90% of all women murdered are murdered by men. 
(Department of Justice [DOJ], Office of Justice Programs [OJP], BJS, 
Female Victims of Violent Crime [FVVC] 1/91 pg. 1; Senate Judiciary Comm.,
Majority Staff, 7/90) It is evident that women, as a class, are 
disproportionately disabled from the act of self-defense when citizens are 
not allowed to carry firearms concealed.

* Contrary to unsubstantiated myths, social science has clearly documented 
that citizens who resist robbery and assault with a firearm are seven times 
more likely to stop the crime, and are half as likely to be hurt than 
citizens who use no form of self-protection. (National Crime Survey, Point 
Blank [NCS, PB] pgs. 104-105)

* 87% of crimes occur away from the victim's home. ( PB, Pgs. 104-105, DOJ) 
60% of all rapes occur outside the home. (DOJ, OJP, BJS, FVVC, 1/91) 
Ironically, if a citizen carries a concealed firearm to defend himself-- 
or herself-- from crime outside the home, they are labeled a "criminal"!

* 78%of the time, criminals attacking women use no weapon at all. 
( FVVC 1/91, pg. 6 Table 11) Only 10% of the time do criminals use firearms 
to commit crimes against women. (NCS 1979-1985, PB Table 4.4 ) Women who 
carry firearms for personal defense have a clear advantage over their 
assailants-- 90% of the time!

* Another common myth is that if a woman carries a firearm, it is likely 
to be taken away from her-- and used against her. The truth is that in less 
than 1% of all defensive use of firearms does the criminal take the gun away 
from the victim. (NCS 1979-1985, PB p.122) This is an extremely successful 
defense ratio which can no longer be ignored!

* Under no circumstances should a peaceable woman be required to wait until 
she is threatened, stalked and/or marked for death before she is allowed the 
right to carry a firearm.

SWARM: 3440 Youngfield #204, Wheatridge, CO 80033 (303) 969-0708 Feel free 
to copy this position statement as necessary.