USVI-On-Line

I have not read all of the responses beyond your original post.
You have to ask yourself this question. Will I be able to draw a weapon on someone and discharge it? Hopefully it is something you will not have to use.
If you end up in a situation where you need it hopefully displaying it will be enough deterant to keep you safe. You cannot count on this though. If you draw a weapon you must be willing to at least discharge it. If you can display the weapon with confidence and fire it you may get lucky and the thug will turn and run. If not you have to be ready to fire it with the intent of taking the life of another person no matter how despicable they may be or else the weapon may end up in the hands of the thug. This is not good for you or for the public in general.
If you believe that you can do this to save your life then I say go ahead and take the gun safety courses and speak with someone who has expertice in what type of firearm you will need.

Another thing to consider is keeping the gun in your control both when you are out and in your home. In the home it can be a danger to anyone (especially children) who may come across it. While away from home consider that you cannot carry it at all times. Sometime you have to leave it in a car or elsewhere. In the urban area near where I live there has been an increase in auto break-ins especially in pick up trucks. Reports are that the pick ups are targeted as the theives feel that there is a greater chance of finding a handgun left behind in a truck while the owner goes into an establishment that does not allow firearms.

I have many opinions on this subject, on both sides so I will keep them to myself but I will ask you this question.

Are you the type of person that can handle themselves in a potentially deadly situation? Do you normally panic in crisis situations?
Knowing how to use a gun in a controlled setting is very different from being in a life or death situation and your own personal reaction to these types of situations are what you need to be thinking about.

I have used and have been around guns from a very small age, as was my sister. When I was in HS, there was a murder in our neighborhood and the suspect was at large. I went to to the gun case, unlocked it, loaded 2 guns, and brought them downstairs. My sister was a panicked mess and I made the decision that she was not in any condition to be handling a gun. All of her years of target shooting and traning meant nothing because she could not handle the crisis.
Thankfully, I had no need to use the weapon. But I think it illustrates a good point.
You don't just know how to use a gun properly, you need to know yourself.

By all means, buy what you need and get training on how to use it.

We live in Colorado and have so many friends that have cabins in the mountains and all of them have a pistol of some sort. We've stayed with these friends and have witnessed drunk mountain drivers coming up to their door and needed help for some sort of reason. The pistol is cocked and ready whenever someone knocks at their cabin door. You just never know.

If I was a professional Realtor and was alone at an Open House, I would be packin' descretly in my purse....for sure.

I'm with Minde, I'm afraid that my own gun would be used against me, and I also don't think I could access it quickly enough if I needed it... I can't even find my cell phone when it's ringing in my purse! I would be much more comfortable carrying a can of wasp spray and a cigarette lighter, and I wouldn't be afraid to use it.

The facts (Washington Post opining on statements before the committee):
First, women are far more likely to be the victims of gun violence than to benefit from using a gun in self-defense.

Second, the restrictions under discussion would not harm women. They would either make women safer or, at the very least, not impede their ability to use guns in self-defense.

On the threat that guns pose to women, consider: Women are far less likely to be the victims of gun violence than men. But they are far more likely than men to be killed by someone they know, generally a spouse or partner.

Women with a gun in the home were nearly three times as likely to be the victim of homicide than women living in a home without firearms, according to a 2003 study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

“There’s good evidence that a gun in the home increases the likelihood that a woman in the home will die,” said David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. “There is no evidence that a gun in the home is protective for the woman.”

I think the best advice here is "know yourself" ...consider how you would really react if *attacked* and then protect yourself appropriately (gun, friend, etc.).

If you are strong, deliberate, and assertive, then maybe a gun is best...I have no problem with good guys shooting bad guys.

But if you are not likely to keep it together in a high stress situation or attack then a gun may just make things worse.

Handguns aren't going away, neither are the bad guys...trust your instincts...stay out of dangerous situations!