Gun Tote’n Mamas is serious about women’s protection. Regardless of whether you carry a firearm or not, the team behind the concealed-carry purse line wants you to be safe and secure in your everyday encounters. With this in mind, we checked with Shelley Hill, creator of “Image Based Decisional Drills,” and asked for her top 7 safety tips for women shopping during the holiday season.
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7 Safety Tips for Women Shopping During the Holiday Season
We need to think about WHAT bad people actually want. You see, they leave their houses with a purpose, just like you – only, their agendas are to steal and/or cause bodily harm.
We need to think about HOW bad people select their “targets, aka victims,” so they can start and then close their attack cycles.
Let’s look at a few things that may interrupt that attack cycle or deselect you from even entering the holiday victim pool.
Displaying packages: Bad guys may choose you based on that awesome APPLE store bag in your hand. Please consider buying a large nondescript bag to put your purchases in so they are not on display.
Displaying loot in your car: The same goes for your car. Vehicle burglaries happen more frequently during the holidays because the criminals can SEE what’s in your vehicle. Please store it in your trunk. Consider parking under a street light and as close to the store entrance as possible.
Pickpockets: You are not the only one out there shopping; you are probably surrounded by hundreds of other holiday shoppers. This is the perfect breeding ground for shoplifters and pickpockets. Don’t fall for theatrics: close talkers, holiday hugs from strangers and narrow locations (escalators, halls, etc.). Please do not put your wallet in your purse. They can easily snatch it and run. Please put your money in pockets that have zippers or buttons, because it is not easily accessible to others.
Distracted: We need to recognize that we look like a gazelle at a watering hole when our heads are down. A lion loves a gazelle that is not paying attention so he can easily look, choose, stalk, close and then attack! Consider getting a babysitter so you can shop without your children’s needs as a distraction. Feel free to take that phone call, but keep your head UP and on a swivel during your conversation. Need to text? Use text-to-speech/voice text with your head up. Don’t have that capability? No problem, text a word or two and look around. Text another word or two and look around. Repeat.
Don’t shop alone: Take a friend with you. It is really true what they say about safety in numbers.
Payment options: Avoid paying with cash. Criminals are looking for people at the register who are paying with cash. Please use credit cards or other non-cash options.
Intuition: LISTEN TO IT! I would like to share an excerpt from an article I wrote a few months ago. “Intuition is a gut reaction that only has your best interest at heart and comes from the Latin word tueri which means ‘look at, guard, protect, watch over.’ Everyone is born with this magnificent inner compass (whether they realize it or not, even those with more analytical minds). When you have a logical brain, it is often better to work with physical evidence, like recognizable pre-assault indicators, and your intuition paired together to know that it is ACTION time. No matter if you are a creative right-brained person or an analytical-left brained person, if intuition’s role is decision making, while not infallible but invaluable, then let’s give ourselves permission to listen to it.”
Meet Shelley Hill
Shelley is co-owner, XO and Instructor at The Complete Combatant. She is an HK brand ambassador and endorsed instructor, publishes regular articles in “Shooting Illustrated,” teaches ONLINE classes, an Active Self Protection Certified Instructor, instructor graduate of Modern Samurai Project’s Red Dot Instructor program, NRA Certified Instructor, Certified NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Refuse to be a Victim Instructor and is a Certified OC (Pepper Spray) Instructor through Chuck Haggard’s Agile Training & Consulting.
She is the designer and mastermind behind Image Based Decisional Drills, Smart Choices , The Complete Combatant’s annual The Mingle for professional ladies in the “firearms/self-defense” industry and The Quest for pistol optic shooters and LockedIn Grip (liquid shooting sports chalk). Shelley is a presenter at Active Self Protection’s National Conference, a presenter at The Well Armed Woman’s Shooting Chapters National Leadership Conference and A Girl and a Gun’s National Conference. She is a public speaker and loves to train!
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Michelle Cerino, aka Princess Gunslinger, first entered the firearms industry in 2011 as co-owner, president and trainer at a national training company. She immediately began competing in both 3-Gun and NRA Action Pistol, becoming a sponsored shooter. Michelle is currently a columnist and Managing Editor of Women’s Outdoor News, as well as owner of Pervenio LLC. She also manages social media for Vera Koo and GTM Original. Michelle encourages others to step out of the comforts of home and explore.
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