PART 2 OF 2 PARTS
   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, Lorcin, has a full-page color ad 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 ad 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 LadySmiths 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 X-ray technicians tend to
work a swing shift. So ... they feel more vulnerable at the times
when they're getting off."
   Mary Warner, an NRA-certified instructor in New Jersey, said
demand for her introductory handgun classes has exploded in the past
few months, with women making up the majority of her students. On
this Sunday, her class had seven students -- four women and three
men. Two of the four women, including Maury Mangan, were nurses.
   "If we don't do something soon, as women, we're going to be
prisoners in our own homes," Ms. Mangan said. Like many of Mrs.
Warner's students, she had been pushed over the line by the
carjacking death of a woman in Piscataway last November.
   In other parts of the country, other crimes have had similar
effects. The Los Angeles riots prompted many women in Southern
California to arm themselves. In Lexington, Ky., three carjackings
in early December caused a spurt in handgun sales to women.
   One recent study showed that women who arm themselves may be in
greater danger than ever, because husbands or friends could wind up
using the guns against them. But firearm advocates are convinced
that a gun-toting woman is less likely to become a victim.
   "We've always, as women, been trained not to like guns," Mrs.
Warner said. "Frankly, I consider them the ultimate in feminine
protection."