European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 20, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Focus More women Are turning to the ultimate in feminine Protection met Cettl iands1erg the associated frets or a Long time Maury Mangan hated even the sigh of guns. The men in her life had them but she firmly believed that firearms were one of society s problems not a solution after she was accosted three times by threatening men her resolve began to crumble. Then when a new Jersey woman was killed in a carjacking at a suburban mall the last threads of opposition snapped. On a recent sunday Mangan stood on the firing line at the Lake Island Rifle and pistol club in Carteret n.j., clutching a revolver and slowly blasting away at a paper target 50 feet away. When the chamber was empty and she turned around she was smiling. Mangan a nurse from Oceanport n.j., is one of an increasing number of women who have turned to firearms for Protection. Although there Are no reliable statistics gun Sellers and advocates agree that women Are a rapidly expanding segment of the gun buying Market. A lot More women Are buying firearms said Mark Campbell of shooting systems inc., a gun dealer in St. Louis. More women Are living by themselves and say they want  the National Rifle association has seen the number of women members increase by about 100,000 a year recently according to Elizabeth Swasey the Era s director of women s issues and information. Her office established in 1990, is one indication of women s new found clout. Five years ago Swasey said Only 5 percent or fewer of the women taking the Era s introductory personal Protection course were women. More recently she said instructors across the country have told her that 50 percent to 75 percent of their students Are women. A women Are still less fond of Guy than men. In a recent Gallup poll taken for life Magazine 66 percent of the women responding said gun Laws should be stricter Only 52 percent of men agreed. But the differences in attitude May be eroding. In Many ways it s an Extension of the women s movement Swasey said. The same Way we be decided we re perfectly capable of taking care of our economic Well being. Now we re deciding that we re also capable of taking care of something that s much More important which b our personal and physical  while Many men buy guns for sport Swasey said there was a one word explanation Tor women s new interest  gun control advocates accuse the Era and gun manufacturers of exploiting that fear of violent crime with advertising much of it aimed at women that portrays handguns As an essential form of self Protection. While we Don t have a problem with Law abiding people owning weapons for legitimate purposes what we really Don t like is people preying on fear said Susan Whitmore a spokeswoman for handgun control inc. Women and guns a Magazine that began publication in 1989, is filled with ads aimed at the women s Market. There Are women s holsters and Holster equipped handbags. There is a listing for a store in fort Lauderdale fla., called the bang bang boutique. And there Are guns designed with women in mind with Slimmer grips and smoother finishes. One manufacturer Lorain has a full Page color and that shows its .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol lying on a desk atop a copy of Vogue Magazine. Nearby is a Gold framed picture of three children. Not just another fashion statement but an above average Means of self Protection the and declares. Women and guns also carries a full Page advertisement for Smith & Wesson s Ladysmith line of guns. Smith & Wesson created the line in 1989 after commissioning Gallup polls on gun ownership. They showed that the percentage of women interested in buying a gun had doubled Between 1983 and 1988. Smith & Wesson named the Ladysmith after a similar line it offered in the late 1800s. Many women then were recreational shooters according to Chris Dolnack the company s marketing manager. But today s buyers Are overwhelmingly interested in self defense. There Are a surprising number of women in the health care Field who own guns Dolnack said. Nurses and a Ray