There are more than 1.2 million concealed carry permit holders in Florida and women are making up a growing percentage of that figure.
According to The Florida Times-Union, women “composed 15 percent” of concealed carry permit holders in Florida in 2004. Today they compose “23 percent…of those license holders.”
“Basics: Gun and Range” opened three and a half months ago. Already, owner Franklin Dickinson estimates that 50 percent of his patrons are women. He holds a “Ladies Night on Thursdays [which] is extremely popular.”
Shelly Levan is a patron who uses the shooting facilities at Basics: Gun and Range. She said:
I think nowadays with the way, unfortunately, the way our world is turning, I think women need to be able to take care of themselves….They need to be able to defend their home and be able to defend themselves if they go out. It’s just a safety issue.
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