number of women getting concealed carry permits in Texas up 65% in seven years
A dramatic increase in Texas women earning concealed handgun licenses has led to a fashion revolution in the Lone Star State. 1200 WOAI news reports several companies have started making purses with can easily accommodate a handgun.
"If you don't like your bag you're not going to carry your gun, and what the heck good is your gun if you're not going to carry it with you," Renata Newton, which heads the Texas-based 'Gun Supply Store" tells 1200 WOAI's Michael Board.
The DPS says there has been a 65% increase in Texas women getting concealed carry permits since 2005, largely because carrying a gun has become more acceptable for women.
But while men wear jackets that can conceal a shoulder holster or a belt that can hold a hip holster, women's clothing doesn't lend itself to carrying sometimes bulky firearms.
Newton says her company has been busy making functional purses that can carry concealed weapons, but she wants to switch from function to fashion.
"We're right on the verge right now of transitioning from functional bags to fashionable bags," she said. "I think a year from now we're going to be seeing more fashionable bags."
She says a fashionable bag will look stylish, be easy to handle, and, she stresses, will not look like it was built to carry a gun.
"I can pick out a bag that has been designed for a specific function like that in a heartbeat," she said. "You certainly don't want a criminal to be able to do the same."
It is also important that the woman be able to grab the gun quickly and inconspicuously. She says it doesn't help if she has to fumble for her gun in a time of crisis. Many of the purses include special side compartments where the gun can slide out, just like with a man's shoulder holster.
She says the bottom line is...women want to pack heat...but they also want to look hot doing it.
