Why your wife (girlfriend) should get a CCL... Even if she doesn't intend to carry!
By Nik Clark
The demographics of gun ownership and concealed carry are definitely shifting. Women are now the fastest growing segment of the concealed carry universe. With that said, I know and hear from many guys who's wives embrace their husband's choice to carry a firearm to protect them and perhaps their family, while the wife herself chooses not to carry.
I'll be the first to say... I think all women should BYOB (Be Your Own Bodyguard). Relying on someone else for your protection is a bad idea. "You" are the only one you can count on to be there when your life or safety may be threatened. Your husband or boyfriend doesn't go everywhere with you. In fact, the times you would be the most opportune target for a thug criminal would, by default, be when you are out and about solo. When your husband or boyfriend is along, many criminals will look for an easier target.
Carrying a gun, and using it effectively for self-defense, is not a complicated task. Statistics prove that the vast majority of the time, you wouldn't even have to fire a gun in order to successfully protect yourself with one. More often than not... you are threatened, you pull gun, cowardly thug tucks tail and runs away (no shots fired). With that said, a gun is easier to use than a mouse on a computer. Its 'point and click'. A deadly attack is somewhat easy to defend yourself against. By its very nature it would be 'coming right at you', 'targeting you' and getting closer by the second. That makes it inherently easier to place a shot to stop the threat than say, a hunter shooting at a fleeing pheasant or deer rapidly moving away. So there are many reasons why your wife or girlfriend should consider not just getting a CCL, but getting in the habit of carrying a gun. I, however, promised you reasons why your wife or gf should get a gun even if they DON'T want to carry. And lets rack that discussion up in the chamber now:
First... Per statute (941.23) and case-law (State V Keith) in Wisconsin, you are carrying a concealed weapon if: 1) dangerous weapon is on person or within reach, 2) you are aware of the weapon's presence, and 3) the weapon is hidden.
Consider the following. Your husband/boyfriend is going to the post office. You know he typically keeps a gun in the center console of his vehicle. You pull up in the parking lot and, since the post office prohibits carry, he steps out, you stay in the vehicle... with his concealed gun... within your reach. Guess what! YOU are in possession of a concealed weapon! If you don't have a license, that could be a problem in certain circumstances!
Scenario 2: You and your boyfriend are in a car accident. He carries a gun (on himself or in his vehicle) and is injured. He needs to be transported to the hospital, you don't. No worries... You can take his gun home with you right? WRONG! Not without a concealed carry license. You don't want to know how many times, and how much effort Wisconsin Carry has put forth to help someone get their firearm back after police took possession of it for a NON-criminal situation, and didn't want to give it back.
These are all great reasons for your wife/girlfriend to get a CCL, just to be covered if this or a similar situation happens to you! But wait! There's more!
I also know "a guy" who likes to have a drink with dinner, but doesn't like to give up his right to self-defense with a firearm when he does so. Wisconsin law prohibits you from carrying and being served in an establishment with a Class B liquor license. (Restaurant/bar where alcohol is served and consumed). This particular guy carries into the restaurant, passes his holstered firearm discretely under the table to his wife, and she tucks it into her purse taking 'possession'. He then orders and enjoys his glass of wine with dinner. After leaving the restaurant she discretely passes it back to him so he has it available for their protection on the way back to the car. All perfectly legal.
Even if your wife or girlfriend doesn't want to carry, perhaps she'll be your 'designated carrier' for a situation like this!
For one final reason, allow me to share a true story. I have a friend who's wife wasn't keen on carrying a gun. She believed many of the media myths and didn't see the need for it. Then news reports of a serial rapist in the vicinity of their home surfaced. The neighborhood that had always seemed like a safe community didn't seem so safe anymore. To my friend's shock, his wife said "I want to get a gun". While this is, I believe, a great decision... By the time the wife took the state mandated training course, applied and received her CCL from the state of Wisconsin, the offender had been arrested and jailed after 2 additional assaults.
The final reason your wife or girlfriend should get a concealed carry license, even if they don't desire to carry is it only takes one situation like that for them to realize they ARE in much more imminent danger. It takes a period of time to go through the process. Your wife or girlfriend may not have a desire to carry UNTIL THEY DO! Plan ahead! Her life or safety may depend on it!