bangalore call it the nirbhaya or jyothi effect women in bangalore are ready to carry guns to safeguard themselves towards the end of 2013 september to december at least 700 women enrolled for a course at a shooting range in the city the chhattisgarh governments move to manufacture the light gun nirbheek only for women has given them hope if i have a gun i wont hesitate to use it against an attacker says savitha patil as she takes aim at the koramangala indoor stadium where the banker has enrolled for a rifle shooting course in a situation where i have to choose between my life and allowing my attacker to wreak havoc i would rather shoot to save myself if bank manager jyothi who was assaulted in an atm kiosk in november last year had a way to defend herself she could have prevented the assault but not all women share savithas sentiments i may buy a gun because knowing i have one will make me feel safe but i dont think i have the courage to hurt anyone says it professional chaithanya dhanaraj id rather use a pepper spray or learn martial arts in selfdefence than shoot she admits secretary of nishaan sports shooting academy swathy subbaiah also a bpo employee who works the night shift wonders if women will be allowed to carry their guns everywhere including shopping malls and offices women are vulnerable everywhere you could be attacked anytime malls and offices have security checks so if guards spot your gun there could be chaos also those employed in it and other campuses are asked to keep their belongings in lockers whats the point if you cant carry your gun she asks nirbheek is for the rich though the nirbheek weighs only 500gm it comes with a heavy price tag of rs 1 lakh it isnt fair to women who arent welloff it should be sold at a subsidized rate and be affordable to all says swathy having a gun and not knowing how to handle it safely is of no use points out schoolteacher juthika shetye the national and international level shooter who has her sights trained on an olympic medal in the 10m air rifle event says though possessing a gun is reassuring equipping women with the skills to fire it is more important professional shooter and coach at nishaan sports shooting academy sunil subbaiah feels women who buy the gun should be professionally trained to shoot and ensure there are no accidents to prevent its misuse by the wrong elements and ensure the procurement process is foolproof i feel the sale of nirbheek should come under the ministry of women and child development where a register of buyers is recorded and maintained meticulously the government should sell it at a subsidized rate without discrimination it should also impart training and then issue the gun licence he emphasizes the academy however holds training programmes only for sports shooters women who own a