A group of 26 real estate agents from the Waco Association of Realtors recently took the 10-hour concealed carry class needed to qualify for a Texas concealed handgun license (CHL).
“The group decided to take the class together this month to observe Realtor Safety Month, as declared by the National Association of Realtors,” said Tara DeLeon, executive assistant at the Waco Association of Realtors, as reported by the Waco Tribune. “All in the group passed the course, and many said they will be packing heat while pointing out the finer points of homes for sale.”
“I definitely will be carrying [a concealed handgun],” said Donna Sharp, an agent with Premiere Realty. “I would suggest anyone in a service profession like this to take this course. Things happen, and you never know when it could happen to you.”
As the Tribune noted, being a real estate agent can be quite risky. They meet complete strangers, often at empty houses, at various times of the day and night. In other cities, agents have been targeted by criminals for robbery and worse.
Parnell McNamara taught the concealed carry class to the Waco agents.
According to the Tribune, McNamara said he has taught concealed carry classes that feature members of the same profession, including a number of bank employees and one class with nine ministers. But the real estate association was the largest group he has taught from one profession.
“Real estate agents are very vulnerable,” McNamara said. “I think it is great that they want to learn how to protect themselves.”
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Every real esate agent should be carrying an S&W Model 60. It will fire any .38 or .357 round. Why!!??? Because it is small, easily concealeld, extremely reliable, and packs enough punch to kill or very much discourage all but the most determined attacker. The Remington 125 grain hollowpoint has a very strong record or stopping an attacker, as evidenced by hundreds of police officers using it to end life or death confrontations in the past 25 years.
In West Des Moines, Iowa, about 3 months ago a beautifrl, productive, active in her church and the community, blonde, blue-eyed 27 year old young woman was murdered at a house she was showing. The assailant is unknown and still at large. The only information (after repeated canvassing and investigation by local and state authorities)established is reports of “a dark car not known to belong to any resident in the area”. In other words, they don’t have anything concrete to go on at all.
Within 60 miles of West Des Moines there are over 600,000 people. How many of them own a dark car, even after subtracting the infirm, hospitalized, juveniles under 16, and others who may or may not own a car or even drive?
Ladies, you especially are easily subject to this sort of crime. Your screams may well not be heard outside the house. With the house being empty, there will be no readily available make-shift weapons. If you don’t think your life is worth that of a would be rapist-murderer, you are in the wrong business. If you won’t spend a few hundred dollars so that you at least have a fighting chance, again, you are in the wrong business. If you feel you could not shoot to stop someone trying to murder you, you are in the wrong business, again.
So spend the money and also re-value you life’s worth to you, and re-xamine your feelings. Then practice under the guidance of a knowledgeable trainer, and continue to practice every 2 or 3 weeks, Remember: with this pistol you will only have 5 bullets, and every one of them must hit the center of mass–the heart lung triangle. Any gunshot wound anywhere is a serious injury, but you are fighting for your life, which you cannot get back if you lose it.