Seen At 11: New Research Shows Gun Purchases By Women On The Rise

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New statistics show that women are buying firearms in increasing numbers.

Laurie Adamo, a Scarsdale mother of two, has been shooting for about a year. She said she took to it immediately. She told CBS2's Kristine Johnson that she decided that she and not her husband would be trained and ready in case the worst should happen.

"I know that we're OK and nothing will happen because I won't let it happen. I think your perspective changes a lot when you have a child and you see things happening in the world," she said.

Adamo may be part of a growing trend. The latest Gallup Poll on guns says that 47 percent of Americans now have guns, more than any time since 1993, and women are buying in increasing numbers. Twenty-three percent of women report that they are gun owners, that is up from 13 percent in 2005.

"Our membership has just exploded," said Scott Bach, head of the New Jersey Association of Gun and Rifle Clubs. "People are waking up to the fact that they are responsible for their own safety."

Bach said that people are arming themselves because they are scared of what is going on in the world.

"The economy seems to be crumbling. There's political unrest. We're beginning to see the beginning of civil unrest," he said.

Anthony Colandro runs a firearm training school in New Jersey. Colandro told CBS 2 that he is seeing brisk business and that women are a driving force.

"The woman is usually the matriarch who is seeking training, where the husband seems to be reluctant. But the woman it's like, hey you work in the city all day, what if like 9-11 you're trapped in the city for a week?" Colandro said.

Shari Spivack is one of those women.

"I take my job as a mom very seriously. I'm responsible for my children. Having it (a gun) there is just another layer of protection. Hopefully I will never have to take it out," she said.

But gun control advocates say they are skeptical of Gallup's numbers, which show that serious gun violence has declined dramatically. They said that people who keep guns in their home ignore the danger.

"If you put a gun in the home you are putting your family at risk and that is a reality that cannot be disputed," anti-gun activist Dennis Henigan said.

Adamo said that she is only thinking about one thing, her family's safety.

Do you own a gun or are you thinking of purchasing one? Let us know how you feel about firearms in our comments section below...