The tragic kidnapping and murder of a successful Arkansas real estate broker has shocked the world and terrified an industry.
ABC News reports that the body of Beverly Carter, an attractive, middle-aged and very successful real estate broker, was found in a shallow grave just five days after she was reported missing.
According to a report by AP, Beverly Carter’s alleged murderer, Arron Lewis, said he targeted Carter “because she was just a woman that worked alone – a rich broker.”
For many real estate agents, property managers and real estate investors, meeting strangers to tour a vacant property is a routine duty in their profession.
And while there are many precautions which can and should be taken, most are intended to avoid such meetings…or to hasten the request for help should something go wrong.
But if meeting prospective clients or tenants at a vacant property is a necessary part of earning your living, it’s a small consolation to have your disappearance reported a few hours earlier.
Sure, you might be found before something terrible happens. But when every minute counts, having the skills and equipment to protect yourself can literally be a matter of life and death.
When it comes to leveling the playing field against a bigger, stronger adversary…especially for women…there’s nothing quite like a gun.
That’s why many real estate agents, property managers and real estate investors own guns and concealed carry permits. The Beverly Carter story, just like the Vaughan Foods Oklahoma beheading story before it, highlight the very real dangers people face in the workplace.
But as we said in our comments on in the Oklahoma beheading story, simply carrying a gun doesn’t make you safe…though it might make you FEEL safer and more confident.
Safety and skill with firearms comes through professional training and consistently practicing proper techniques.
Is it a hassle? Sure. Though firearms training can also be social, fun and challenging…like playing golf or bowling. It will be what you make it.
The difference is that skill with a firearm can save your life, or…as we saw when the Vaughan Food executive stopped a savage attacker and stopped him from claiming the life of a second victim…your skill with a firearm can save someone else, too.
So if you’re among the millions who own a firearm, but have never been trained or seldom practice…especially if these recent tragedies have inspired you to dust off your gun to start carrying it…we encourage you to invest the time and resources to get professionally trained.
And if you’re among the thousands who are ready to go out and purchase your first gun and want to get a license to carry concealed, be aware that like many licenses, what it takes to obtain a concealed carry gun permit is much less than what it takes have potentially life-saving skills when faced with a high-stress life-or-death situation.
We’re here to help. When you become a free member of Firearms Training Advocates, you have access to educational resources, members only discounts on firearms training from one of the premier schools in the nation, and access to streamlined, practical information to help increase your knowledge, skills and confidence with firearms.
Click here to become a free member of Firearms Training Advocates. When you do, you’ll be automatically entered to win free firearms training.