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“NRA'S ``REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM'' IS A VALUABLE, SENSIBLE PROGRAM” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S11694-S11695 on Oct. 7, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NRA'S ``REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM'' IS A VALUABLE, SENSIBLE PROGRAM
Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the Department of Justice confirms that in the United States there was a rape for every 270 women, a robbery for every 240 women and an assault for every 29 women in 1994. (In the three year period from 1992-94, the number of violent crimes committed against our wives, sisters, mothers, and daughters totaled nearly 14 million.)
In response to statistics like these, the women of the National Rifle Association created the ``Refuse to be a Victim'' program five years ago. The basic premise of the program can be summed up by an old saying--an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The course teaches women not to live in fear of threats, but rather, to respect likely threats and prepare to avoid or effectively respond to them.
The centerpiece of the ``Refuse to be a Victim'' program is a three-
hour public service safety seminar designed by, taught by, and presented to women in order to help them protect themselves. Since its inception, this common sense safety and self-defense program has been presented in 35 states and the District of Columbia. More than 600 instructors, including 9 in North Carolina, have trained and empowered thousands of women to protect themselves and their families.
Mr. President, the course equips women with the tools they need to design their own personal safety strategy. By increasing awareness of dangerous situations and providing knowledge of self-protection techniques and crime-fighting and personal safety resources, the program maximizes its participants ability to successfully avoid or, in the worst case, survive an attack.
The program features practical but frequently overlooked advice on home security such as the installation of effective lock and security systems, planting ``defensive'' shrubbery around windows, and keeping a cellular phone by the bedside in case an intruder disables your home phone. It also provides information on how to avoid being a victim of a car-jacker as well as the proper and safe use of personal safety devices such as alarms, sprays, stun guns and firearms.
For those unable to attend a seminar personally, the program has distributed more than 200,000 of the informative ``42 Strategies for Personal Safety'' brochures nationwide.
Mr. President, the women of the NRA are to be commended for the development of this important program. The contributions of the
``Refuse to be a Victim'' program are indeed impressive. This program is a fine example of the type of pro-active safety and security training that the National Rifle Association has long provided to our citizens. I hope that women in every part of our great nation will consider participating in this outstanding program and, in so doing, join the more than ten thousand women who have already benefited from it.
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