Women look for unique places to carry concealed guns

OLATHE, Kan. – A growing number of women aren’t just joining women’s only gun groups, they’re also looking for new ways to carry a concealed weapon to avoid the more traditional hiding spot, the purse.

Charlene Herrin leads the first Kansas City chapter of the Well-Armed Woman. She said the purse is the most vulnerable place for women to conceal their weapons.

“When you get into a situation where you think you can get assaulted, I think one of the first things you’re going to lose is that purse,” she said.

So far, 22 women have joined Herrin’s group since she began the chapter nearly a year ago.

Every woman has a different reason for joining.

Ana Rentas decided to own a gun after a close call in an armed robbery where a man held her and her family at gun point.

“After that I promised myself that would never happen to me again,” she said.

Since she joined the group she’s learned she isn’t alone.

According to The Pew Research Center, around 43 percent of women in the U.S. said they own a gun, up three percent from 2011.

Both Missouri and Kansas allow people to carry concealed weapons with the proper license.

Rentas and the other women in the group appreciate the latest trends for women concealed gun carriers.

“That’s why I like the different options that weren’t available before now we have them for women and we get to accessorize a bit better,” she said.