Gun Sales to Women Rising

For the firearms industry, women are the next big opportunity. They are a desirable demographic and the number of female gun owners is growing, CNN Money reported. Sometimes the appeal may include a fashion statement. Glock offers both sub-compact and slim line handguns for women. Smith & Wesson offers a model called the “Lady Smith.” Mossberg markets shotguns and rifles with a pink camouflage pattern, and one shooting range in Las Vegas offers pink AK-47s with the bachelorette parties that it caters to. Almost 80 percent of gun retailers reported a rise in female customers in 2012, according to industry figures. In Florida, 22 percent of the concealed carry permits are held by women. In Texas, women hold 28 percent of concealed carry permits, up sharply over the past decade. Women participants are also showing up on television sports competitions. Michelle Viscuzi, a U.S. Army veteran who has also modeled for Maxim, competed on a History Channel show called “Top Shot,” CNN reported. Tiffany Lakosky, a former flight attendant, hunts on the Outdoor Channel show "Crush with Lee & Tiffany.” "I wear it for protection," said Lakosky of her .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol. "I like it because when I go running on a dirt road I have a belly band and it fits that. I can mow my lawn with it. I can wear it in my purse and no one even knows that I have it."...more