Mothers up in arms over safety

By GINGER MIKKELSEN

VIEW STAFF WRITER

Northwest Las Vegas resident Crystal Smith Wright wants to make women feel comfortable defending themselves. Wright is the state coordinator for a new group called Mothers Arms.

Mothers Arms was created to educate and support the development of women who consider it their right and responsibility to protect their children, property and themselves from assault.

To protect those rights, Wright intends to help women learn more about self-defense, weapons and self-confidence.

"Weapons are so demonized," Wright said. "9-1-1 is not always the answer."

Wright said most women rely on the government and law officers to protect them, when they should be learning how to protect themselves and their families.

Women may feel uncomfortable buying and learning to use a weapon. Even applying for a permit takes education and information. Wright said that's where her organization comes in. As a group they can find instructors willing to teach courses in self-defense. They can also provide each other with moral support as they purchase and learn to use everything from handguns to pepper spray.

"Its more than being armed, it's about not being a victim," Wright explained.

She said just having training can give women a self confidence that makes them appear less of a target.

Wright said her respect for the right to bear arms and her experiences as a single mother led her to join the group.

"As a Daughter of the American Revolution growing up in historic South Carolina, I developed an early appreciation and respect for the Constitution and Bill of Rights," Wright said.

Preserving self-defense rights is one of Wright's goals.

"My involvement with Mothers Arms is the most meaningful way I can help insure that our children will still have and will want to maintain their Second Amendment rights when they reach adulthood."

Wright has 20 years' experience in the broadcast industry both in front of and behind the camera. After nine years as a news anchor in Los Angeles, she moved to Las Vegas and began LunarLight Productions, a video production company that has received recognition from ABC World News Tonight, The Crusaders, and Ad Age Magazine.

The company is currently in pre-production for a video firearms primer targeting a female audience.

For more information about Mothers Arms, call 338-3639 or (800) 464-4840 or visit the Web site at mothersarms.org.