Don’t Be an Easy Target: Armed & Female II Empowers Women to Protect Themselve

New York City, June 29, 2023 — Self-defense and firearms expert Paxton Quigley paved the way for the women’s gun movement decades ago and continues to advocate for responsible gun ownership, particularly in light of today’s shifting social landscape.

Every month, 70 women on average are shot and killed by an intimate partner, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

“If you find yourself in a potentially violent situation,” Quigley said, “you should understand that in almost every case you will be the only person you can truly depend on to protect yourself. You cannot count on the police, unless they happen to be nearby, and bystanders most likely won’t be able to help you.

“There are more women living alone and more single mothers than ever, and more women are realizing that they have to learn to take responsibility for their own safety, as well as that of their loved ones,” Quigley said. “And in a country with more guns than people, owning a firearm for self-defense has become a necessity for many women.”

But with the right to own a gun comes extraordinary responsibility and accountability, and Quigley wants to help new and existing gun owners realize their potentially lethal as well as non-lethal options.

Quigley's latest book, Armed & Female II: Never an Easy Target (available in paperback and Kindle versions from Amazon.com), aims to help guide readers through the process of making the initial decision to purchase a firearm, choosing the right one, finding the right path for learning how to shoot and care for the gun, and most important, keeping children safe in a home from firearms.

Federal background checks for gun purchases hit an all-time high of 21 million in 2020 (according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation). Nearly half (48%) of the new, first-time gun buyers were women, and of these female buyers, 21% were Black (according to the 2021 National Firearms Survey), none of which surprises Quigley.

“The pandemic caused many changes in American society, not the least of which was making people, especially women, feel vulnerable,” she said. “The increase in women choosing to arm themselves, especially those who have suffered intimate partner violence or race related threats, has resulted in more choices and diversity in shooting clubs and firearms instruction. There are liberal gun clubs, gay gun clubs, African American and Latinx gun clubs, and so many excellent women shooting instructors, three of which I profile in my book.”

With plenty of helpful photos and diagrams, Armed & Female II also includes compelling true stories about women who have survived life-threatening situations; everything readers need to know about handguns and non-lethal self-defense, including non-lethal strategies for personal safety at home and while traveling; and expert advice from some of the country’s most respected firearms safety instructors.

“Though written for women, this book is also excellent for men who are new to firearms or want to learn as much as they can as quickly as they can,” Quigley added. “Because when it comes to self-defense, what you don’t know can hurt you.”

About the Author

Paxton Quigley is the author of the bestselling women’s gun self-defense series: Armed & Female (hardcover, E.P. Dutton; paperbacks, St. Martin’s Press); Not an Easy Target (Fireside); Staying Alive: Armed & Female in an Unsafe World (Merril Press); and Armed & Female: Taking Control (Merril Press). She has taught personal protection strategies to more than 7,000 women in the U.S. and abroad.

No stranger to the media, Paxton has appeared on more than 300 TV and radio shows, including Oprah, 60 Minutes, The Today Show, Good Morning America and NBC Nightly News. She was briefly a bodyguard for Yoko Ono and other high-profile women, and taught self-defense to numerous celebrities, including actresses Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Geena Davis and Judith Light.

For more information, visit www.paxtonquigley.com, or follow the author on Instagram at @Armed_and_female and on Facebook, Armed & Female II: Never An Easy Target.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Armed-Female-II-Paxton-Quigley/dp/B0C1J5BPTQ/