There's more than you think

There are more women than you think. There are many women who will tell you their story. Perhaps a traumatic event which lead them to purchasing a firearm. Maybe a close call or the realization that there's a big world out there and not everyone they encounter is friendly.

For those who willfully share their story, I commend you. It's your stories, your experiences, your ability to over-come that helps us all. For some this is the catalyst to explorer (new) ways of self-protection. To train for a new possibility or be able to put ourselves in that place and consider what you'd do in that same circumstance. For some sharing their story is healing, for others it's opening an old wound.

I believe for each of the women you hear from and hear their stories, there are just as many that won't share their story. For some, the fact they found themselves in that situation, whether or not is was their fault, it is still not something they want to share. It can elicit feelings of shame or guilt for being in that place at that time, for going out at night, for stopping there for gas, for trying to help someone. It reminds them that somewhere along the line someone told them, you shouldn't do that, be there, get close, step in and the list goes on. 'You shouldn't but you did anyway' and look what happened. With these women they feel it was bad or traumatic but still not something they want to share. Sharing their story to them means admitting they did the things someone told them not to do, or did something wrong which lead to this event. It sounds different to say it out loud, it wasn't their fault but these are the true feelings. There are more of these stories than we know.

Not one of us gets through life unscathed. We all have experiences, thoughts and past events that shape us. Today, take an extra moment to smile at the next woman you see, for we don't always know her story.