[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 7, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11694-S11695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    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

[[Page S11695]]

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.

                          ____________________