01Aug05

Speaking of clothing... Comments from a friend in SA:

"Drawstrings and toggles on overgarments are gadgets that sell cloth ing without contributing to the health of the wearer. Recently, when hunting in the mountainous portion of the Karoo, I sat on huge rock. When I subsequently tried to get up in order to get a shot at a springbuck I had just spotted, I discovered, to my unhappiness, that my jacket was stuck. A toggle had foun d its way into a crevice in the rock, and I could hardly move! Fortunately, I managed to dislodge the toggle without disturbing the buck. Happily, I mad e the shot and took the animal cleanly. I also found that yet another toggle was swinging against my holstered pistol, making an irritating and unnecessary noise. These things we can live without!

As is the case when we buy weapons for serious purposes, when we buy clothing, we should make sure that it serves the real purpose (and that is n ot "to be fashionable") and remove whatever is defeating the real purpose, while adding whatever may be necessary to serve that purpose. As you are aware, th is is a philosophical point is made only with extremely difficultly when training

some women (some men too!), as fashion is often foremost in their minds. Advising them on choosing between fashion and personal victory often falls o n deaf ears."

Comment: My friend is an experienced, professional gunman. His advice should not be taken lightly!

/John

01Aug05

Retort from a female colleague:

"Okay Farnam, now you've hit on a sore spot. While we gun-carrying girls are hulking around in bulky shirts and jackets that smother all our curves, our gun-carrying guys are checking out the less encumbered beauties dressing in ways that 'accentuate the positive. ' We are not naive about readiness, we're just constantly trying to contend with

basic, and conflicting, issues. I am frustrated by the lack of selection of

ladies' clothes, accessories, and carry methods that allow us to look stylish and smart, yet be prepared to defend ourselves. I really don't want to have to dress like a dyke just because I want to carry a gun!

It's even worse for small women, like me. Recently I had to buy a gun belt

that is several inches too long, and I now have to spend more money and tim e getting it shortened, because the best quality and most suitable was only available in men's sizes. Even the smallest was still way too long.=80

Comment: Absolutely right. Gun manufacturers have only recently actively courted the female market. Accessory manufacturers are still way behind. A s I watch young women's public dress today (they all look "young" to me), it strikes me that some compromise is going to be necessary with the current generation of "painted-on" styles. However, people who know how to design w omen's clothing need to get to work on this issue. We need our female colleagues t o be interested in guns and to seriously contemplate carrying on a regular basis . When the issue is portrayed as nearly impossible, they lose interest, and our side loses another active voter!

/John