NATCHEZ — Adams County women who want to be better prepared to defend themselves — including with the use of firearms — have an opportunity to learn just how to do that tonight and Saturday.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office will host a free women’s personal awareness and safety course from 6 to 8 tonight at the Southwest Mississippi Training Facility on Foster Mound Road.

“This is basically a women’s self defense course,” Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said. “It is not just about physical but also mental defense, how to stay out of dangerous situations, some common sense rules and different things like that.”

In addressing physical defense, the sheriff said the course will teach women how to improvise weaponry with items they may have on themselves, for example, keys. The course will also teach participants how to handle standard self-defense weapons such as pepper spray, Tasers and firearms.

Saturday, from 8 a.m. to noon, a second session will give participants a chance to become more familiar with firearms. Gun owners are invited to bring their own weapons, but the ACSO will also provide guns for participants to use.

“We will have several kinds of guns out there they can try,” Mayfield said.

The gun session will focus on safety, care of weapons and firing. Mayfield said a National Rifle Association instructor will be present, and those who complete the session will be NRA qualified for handguns.

Mayfield said the course was being offered because an educated public is a safer public.

“A lot of women have told me they are carrying guns, but are afraid of them and don’t want to use them,” he said. “If they are afraid of them we want to talk about alternatives like Tasers.”

“The more people know how to prevent being a victim, the less crime we have.”

For more information, contact the ACSO at 601-442-2752.