FRANKLIN—When out shopping this holiday season, Franklin residents Pam Darden and Claudette Putze said they are what you might call ‘soft targets.’

As older women, going out for Christmas shopping unfortunately brings up some troubling thoughts along with those of Santa Claus and Jingle Bells. That’s criminals who might try to take advantage of them.

“Crime is on the rise, and I think protecting themselves is something that women need to know more about,” Darden said.

Putze said at the very least, women need to be extra aware of their surroundings in situations where you think something might happen. For example, when going back to her car in a parking lot, she said she always has her thumb on the car alarm.

Unfortunately, she said it’s also a good idea to pay attention in a situation where you might not suspect something bad might happen. A few years ago, after coming back from visiting a friend, she and her husband received a call asking them if they had put more than $3,000 on the card. At that friends house, she’d left her purse unattended and someone took one of her cards.

“I had no idea it was happening,” Putze said. “I am not paranoid about bad things happening, but it really can happen anywhere.”

So, on Tuesday night they went to the Power to Women event at the Regional Workforce Development Center, where Franklin Police Chief Phil Hardison, local martial arts instructor Anthony Barnes and others presented to the community of women ways to prevent potentially becoming a victim.

“It could not be a better time of year to be talking about this,” Hardison said. “This is when we do the majority of the holiday shopping, and when we are more likely to be targeted.”

Based on statistics of criminals, Hardison said it may not be the 18-year old that you have to worry about as much as it could be the 35-year old who is well dressed.

“A criminal can look like anyone,” he said.

The most important thing the chief could tell the women, though, was that you have to be psychologically prepared to survive the event should one happen.

“There are three things, first you try to get away, and if you can’t get away you, hide,” Hardison said. “If there is nothing else you can do, then you fight, and fight for your life. If you give up mentally, then your body is going to shut down and you are not likely to make it out. But if you fight to survive, you at least give yourself a chance. When you have adrenaline, your body can carry you further than you would think.”

The second amendment was also brought up. Hardison said he was a supporter of the right to bear arms, but he also qualified that.

“I think if you chose to carry and bear arms, it comes with an additional responsibility,” he said. “You need to have training on how to conduct yourself with and the appropriate use and knowledge of the weapon you are carrying.”

Getting a concealed carry permit is easy — you take a firearm safety course and submit a copy of that along with an application to the circuit court. You pay the fee, and unless you have certain criminal activities on your record, you will have the permit in 45 days.

The training is where one of his concerns is, as you can use a hunter’s safety course or watch a 20-minute online video to qualify for the permit. Hardison said police departments spend thousands of dollars to mentally and physically prepare officers to use firearms, and there are still times when officers around the country don’t get it right.

James Reynolds, president of Proactive Shooters, agreed with Hardison’s sentiment: Take a worthwhile course if you are going to use a firearm.

“I know people who have let their children take the online test after letting the video run for 20 minutes,” Reynolds said. “I’m going to ask you to take your firearm training more seriously than that.”

Firearms are not for everyone, and with them is a tremendous responsibility in regard to life and death.

“You can use one to protect your life and the life of an innocent person,” Reynolds said.

“But if you are not 1,000 percent certain that you can pull the trigger and potentially end someone’s life, then don’t introduce a firearm into a situation,” Hardison said earlier in the presentation. “If you do, you’ve just given a gun to a criminal that can be used against you and your family.”

Even if you do not chose to use a gun, Reynolds said it is ultimately your responsibility to protect yourself. When a crime is happening, a police officer is only minutes away.

“The average crime event starts and is over in 3 seconds,” he said. “There is no way an officer can be anywhere in 3 seconds.”

With the right training, Reynolds does recommend that women apply for concealed handgun permits. He said that women are the fastest rising segment of the population applying for the permits.

However, if a gun isn’t for you, Reynolds said he preferred pepper spray to tasers or stun guns. A civilian taser typically only has one shot and you have to make contact with skin, so a bad shot or a heavy coat could render it useless. With a stun gun, you have to get up close and personal.

“If you do make skin contact, then a person goes down,” Reynolds said. “But they only go down for 20 to 40 seconds.

“Working in law enforcement, I can’t tell you how many times I was pepper sprayed, but I can tell you that it didn’t get any easier. It takes the fight out of you for a good 20 minutes.”

Barnes also presented some techniques that could help you get away if someone grabs you from the front or behind. When they grab you, it’s important to not panic.

“When they grab you like that, they’re trying to scare you,” he said. “I had a friend one time say, ‘Next time it happens, I’m going to shoot them.’ You notice that he said next time. That’s because they are trying to scare you so you can’t think.”

If a hand is free and you can get at the throat, squeeze the adam’s apple. Another option on the face is to go for the eye, as the pain that causes can take the fight out of someone.

If you can get to the groin area, don’t just squeeze — pull down as hard as you can.

If your hands aren’t free, kick the knees and stomp the feet. If you are wearing heels, don’t be afraid to use them as a weapon.

“Those heels are dangerous, ladies,” Barnes said.

Barnes and his team also demonstrated with some of the Damsel in Defense products, such as a keychain spear. He said to go for the ribs. The pain might make the attacker think that you’ve got a knife. But it’s important to hold the item away from them so they can’t see it good.

“They don’t want to mess with a knife,” he said. He also added that a key could be used in that way.

Barnes also recommended flipping over the rings you wear, as you are more likely to get DNA from your attacker when slapping or hitting.

“Those fake fingernails are going to break,” Barnes said.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Barnes has a self-defense class at S.P. Morton. It’s free and runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Melvin Boone at 651-9875.

Darden and Putze both thought the event, which was organized by Ginnie Spivey of The Tidewater News, was very informative.

“I believe whether you are male or female, that you need to be more aware of what is going on,” Putze. “The world is not the same as it used to be.”