Why Girls Need Guns
Nora Sanford Newby is a mother, grandmother, business owner, and one of the best-fried apple pie bakers in Alabama (take my word for it). She’s also a gun owner and a heroine. A few years ago, a peaceful café and gas station in a small town almost became a crime scene. But thanks to Nora, it didn’t.
The afternoon started off like any other with the county school bus stopping in front of Nora’s store, Sanford’s Grocery & Grill. A pair of young sisters got off and went into the store, where they typically spent the afternoon until their mom got home from work. They lived nearby, and Nora was glad to keep an eye on them for a few hours during the week.
Business was as usual at Nora’s convenience store and café in Bankston, Alabama, until an unusual man arrived. He walked in wearing a suit and tie, and Nora said he could’ve easily passed for a doctor or lawyer. She also said he was very handsome.
Perhaps this gentleman’s persona was intended to throw everyone off, especially the youngest of the sisters whom he approached soon after Nora greeted him. The little girl was sitting close to the front door watching TV. Nora observed from the back of the store as the strange man knelt down to the little girl’s level and struck up a conversation with her.
Nora remembers that he rubbed the little girl’s arm and then her face. After that, he opened her mouth and even stuck part of his hand in her mouth as if he were examining her. At this point, Nora became concerned and asked the older sister if they knew him.
When the sister said “no,” Nora knew she had better intervene. She asked, “Sir, can I help you? Is there something that I need to know?”
He answered that he was simply talking to the young girl. Then, he walked outside, but Nora never let him out of her sight. He moved his car in front of the gas pump. After a few minutes, Nora told him that if he didn’t intend on getting gas, he would need to please move his car.
Her comment made him mad, but he finally moved the car. By this point, Nora had gotten the younger girl to move closer to the register with her sister. When the man came back in the store, he ordered some food, most likely to keep Nora occupied. As soon as she brought out his plate, things went south quickly. He jumped up, slung his chair back, and threw his cell phone at Nora in a rage.
She quickly made her way to the counter, opened a drawer, and pulled out her gun. In the 18 years, she has owned her store, the gun has always stayed in that drawer. She had never needed it until that day, but on that day, she was thankful it was there and that she knew how to use it.
The man swung back his fist as if to attack Nora, but she quickly drew the gun on him and said, “If you touch that child or move, I’ll blow a hole through you.” There was one other person in the store besides the man, Nora, and the girls. Nora told her, “Ma’am, I don’t know who you are, but just fall down and start praying.” The woman immediately hit her knees and prayed.
With one hand holding the gun, Nora used the other to dial 911. As soon as someone answered, she said, 
“There’s a gentleman here who’s wanting to kidnap a child. I need someone here now.” Within five minutes, a local policeman was at the store.
Nora looked over to where the woman had been standing, but she was already gone. To this day, Nora feels like the woman was an angel of God sent for their protection. She’s also thankful that her dad and brothers taught her about gun safety and the importance in knowing how to defend herself. “From the time we were young, we were taught to defend ourselves,” Nora said of her family. “Had we not been taught, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Nora was fortunate to learn gun safety early on and smart enough to keep a gun in her place of business. Many women don’t share her background and knowledge with firearms, and it’s sad to think what might have happened if they had been in Nora’s situation on that fateful afternoon. Thankfully, there are plenty of places women can get the training they need.
Here are just a few of the firearms training facilities in Alabama:
Hoover Tactical Firearms
Hoover, Alabama
(205) 822-3600
CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park
Talladega, Alabama
(256) 474-4408 ext. 460
Defensive Options Group
Montgomery, Alabama
(334) 239-8276
East Alabama Gun Club
Phenix City, Alabama
(706) 888-3140
First Class Arms Training
Coden, Alabama
www.firstclassarmstraining.org
(251) 824-1776
FOP Range, Inc.
Pleasant Grove, Alabama
(205) 744-2600
Gun Logic Firearms Training
Coker, Alabama
(205) 333-3258
Shootrite Firearms Academy
Langston, Alabama
(256) 582-4777
Warrior Ranch Training Center
Brookwood, Alabama
www.warriorranchtrainingcenter.com
(205) 409-6091
Way of the Gun
Eastaboga, Alabama
About the Author: Kaci Lane Hindman can best be described as an unconventional Southern Belle with a sarcastic sense of humor. She loves Alabama, writing, and writing about Alabama. She is married to the walking definition of a high-tech redneck, and together they have two young children.
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