THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 22, 1995 TAG: 9507220251
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Charlise Lyles
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Ran into the sister-girlfriends at the grocery store the other day. They were all abuzz about Virginia's new concealed-weapons law.
Lurking in the back of their braids was the same question that had been on my mind.
``A woman with PMS, in pantyhose, in July, in Hampton Roads carrying a concealed weapon? I don't think so,'' said LaKeesha, hand on her hip.
``I get so irritable and short-tempered that I feel I have no control over my life. When I'm in that state it's easy to think about bumping my husband, Bobbie, off,'' said Tameeka.
Well, that would leave you with one less bell to answer, I thought to myself.
The law allows just about anyone to carry a concealed weapon, with three hours of firearms training required locally.
``Yeah. And you know how PMS makes me so depressed. I might just shoot myself if there's a handy gun on my person,'' said LaTeesha, fingering her braids.
``And you know what else,'' said Ieasha. ``I tend to get so clumsy around that time, knocking stuff over, bumping into things. Or digging down in that junky purse of mine, I could end up accidentally pulling the trigger.''
We huddled over our half-full grocery-store carts in silence, brows furrowed. Each had arrived at the same conclusion.
It's a dangerous thing: A woman with legal access to a gun when she's PMSing. (With us, PMS is a verb, an action word.)
The lunar moodiness really does render us easily agitated and angry. We can become completely irrational. We want to quit our jobs, divorce our husbands, fix our boyfriends up with somebody else, shoot the tires on the car.
Or somebody.
The silence around the grocery carts persisted.
``It could happen,'' LaKeesha practically whimpered.
Finally, I spoke up to defend myself and all women. ``Girlfriends, we're not giving ourselves enough credit.
``What about all the excellent women police officers like the ones on the Norfolk force who show up at crime scenes looking a lot calmer than some of the men? And what about Navy women who are training to fly combat missions? They don't just get a little moody and think about opening the missile hatch. They're in total control. This kind of thinking is stereotypical, and we need to stop.''
LaTeesha joined my defense: ``Besides, isn't there a similar condition for men, testosterone syndrome, or something like that? And isn't it ongoing? And men carry guns in all kinds of situations.''
I had never heard of that affliction. But if true, it might explain a lot of the violence in the last century.
We realized that PMS wasn't really what we were worried about. Rather, our worry was the possibility that any rational person in a moment of irritation could go off and use a weapon that he or she might not have used if it hadn't been so convenient.
``So what we all need is to exercise more self-control, more self-restraint. That's the real training we need if we're to carry concealed weapons,'' LaKeesha asserted confidently.
Ieasha said. ``It's almost as if this law requires us to be more civilized.''
``Yeah,'' I said. ``But there's no guarantee that the other guy or gal will be.'' by CNB