The 10 Professions That Should Concealed Carry

1. Realtors
2. Attorneys
3. Process Servers
4. Interior Designers
5. Judges
6. Contractors
7. Pharmacist
8. Insurance Agents
9. Jewelers
10. Business Owners

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Realtors. Of this list, Realtors are the most vulnerable—this quote drives the point home (pun intended) of why real estate agents take the number one spot, “A real estate agent makes a living meeting a complete stranger in an empty home,” says Tracey Hawkins, owner and safety product speaker at Safety and Security Source.

According to the article the Top 6 Crimes Against Real Estate Agents, “Agents may encounter squatters, angry former homeowners or even encounter abandoned pets that may be aggressive,” says Hawkins. “These properties are often meth labs, or pot houses, and encroaching upon them is dangerous.” The article goes on to say, violence is quite a problem in the field. The real estate and rental and leasing occupation has seen an average of 75 deaths a year from 2003 to 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Hawkins is seeing more agents carrying pepper spray, guns and Taser guns as safety measures.

The piece by Housing Wire, list 10 things agents can do to be safe when conducting Open Houses:

1. Try to have at least one other person working the open house with you.
2. Check cell strength and have emergency numbers programmed in speed dial
3. Check all rooms when entering for the first time, determine an escape route. Make sure all deadbolts are unlocked to facilitate a faster escape.
4. Make sure the backyard has an exit that you can maneuver
5. Have Open House visitors sign in
6. When showing the home, always walk behind the prospect (direct them, do not lead them.)
7. Avoid attics, basements and being trapped in small rooms
8. Notify someone in your office, your answering service, a friend that you will be calling in every hour. And if you do not, that they are to call you.
9. Inform neighbors you will be showing the house and ask them to keep an eye and ear out for anything out of the ordinary.
10. Do not assume everyone has left the house at the end of the open house. Check all rooms and backyard prior to locking doors. And be prepared to defend yourself if necessary!

Attorneys can become targets because of dissatisfied or disgruntled clients. And like physicians and judges, attorneys are in the criminal’s cross-hairs because they are often in the 1% of income earners.

The online article, Threats Against Attorneys Are More Common Than You Think  says that attorneys are regularly threatened and verbally abused by their own clients. It is so common place—many believe it comes with the job. The article goes on to say, “People are at their worst when they go to see an attorney. Whatever it is, they’re at a point where they are in a conflict that they do not know how to handle or can not handle,” said Stephen Kelson, an attorney from Utah who studies violence against the profession. “The attorneys end up being an outlet.”

A survey based study of 22 states, conducted over the past 10 years, show 35.5 percent to 46.5 of registered attorneys have been threatened or assaulted, claims Kelson. These threats included stalking, phone calls, letters, emails, texts, online posts, verbal threats of violence or death, and attempts to hire hitmen. The actual acts of violence ranged from vandalism and tampering with vehicles to physical assaults.

The article went on to state that those in family or criminal law are at the highest risk. These are powder kegs of emotion to start with, and do not need much of an ignition source to blow!  Acts of violence or intimidation happen mostly at courthouses or in attorneys’ offices, but they were also reported to have happened while the attorneys were traveling, in jails or prisons visiting clients, and at their own homes.

Process Servers are the proverbial messengers that could have coined that phrase- “Don’t shoot the Messenger!” The article Assault on Process Servers Continues in 2015 states that many people being served become hostile, while process servers are just trying to do their job. They are also upholding constitutional rights by providing the defendant with due process. Since 2012 over 100 assaults have been reported. These guys and gals in this profession, often get cameos in dramas on television, but in real life, they really experience a lot of dangerous drama.

Interior Designers who go to locations to meet clients face similar exposure and risk as real estate agents. 

Women in these professions become an even more attractive target to the predatory criminal looking for an easier target. The Government website, Office for Women takes the position that violence against women can have significant impacts on the workplace. They further report that workplaces can be used as places for perpetrators to harass women and to locate their whereabouts.  Most of the above occupations are off site and remote, which gives greater pause, because these women are often isolated and alone, which makes them more vulnerable to attacks especially if the offender stalks his victims.

Each of these professions has its own challenges and inherent dangers. Each and every one of these professions should seriously consider concealed weapons training and should carry a firearm for added security and personal protection, (if in or around the Windy City, look up  Pew Pew Guru for Chicago firearm training profiled in the Patch Newspaper) With training in marksmanship and the law, professionals can effectively learn to protect themselves with a handgun and avoid becoming a victim.

I Firmly Believe These Professions Should Concealed Carry!

Stigma aside, carrying a firearm is a sensible way to reduce your risk of becoming a statistic and a smart choice to ensure that you win an armed encounter. In the meantime, I will continue to scream the mantra—Don’t Be A Victim, from the top of my lungs to anyone who will listen!