Gun Rights as a Women's Cause: "When she moved from California to Arizona, Judy Dutko, had a short list of must-dos upon her arrival in her new home: obtain a driver's license, join a church and register for a gun. "I refuse to be a victim, so basically that's why I got interested," said Dutko who is in her 50s. "Most people will go through their life and never have a problem but if you're prepared, then you can take care of a situation." The retired history teacher is part of what appears to be a growing number of women who view carrying a weapon as an essential part of their safety, which has led the firearms industry to offer women only training classes, magazines and clothing for female gun owners. "We get calls from women who didn't grow up around firearms, yet they have an interest in their personal safety, and it kind of goes from there. We've seen such an increase in participation in our programs," said NRA spokesperson Kelly Hobbs. "It does seem to at least stem from that interest in protecting their families and themselves."



California: Win for a gun show: "A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit brought by gun show promoters Russ and Sally Nordyke can proceed and that they can argue that their free-speech rights are violated by an Alameda County ordinance that bans guns on county property. By banning firearms on County property the ordinance was designed to, and did, put the gun show out of business. In a tremendous victory for gun rights activists, on September 27, 2005 United States District Judge Martin Jenkins ruled that the gun show promoters, who had filed a lawsuit challenging the Alameda ordinance, could proceed with their case. The Nordykes promoted gun shows at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton from 1991 to 1999, when the county adopted an ordinance making illegal the possession of firearms on county property. The county had asked the judge to dismiss the Nordykes challenge, arguing that the gun ban is a public safety issue rather than a constitutional one. But Judge Jenkins ruled that the promoters had established both a claim under the equal protection clause and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."