Ladies across Kitsap are gathering in homes to discuss some hard truths, have a laugh, and look at some rather shocking merchandise.

That’s not all. Some products sting, even jab.

On its surface, Damsel in Defense is a lot like other home-based businesses, where consultants gather gals in living rooms to sell products while having a little fun. But instead of intimate products, or makeup common at similar parties, Damsel’s line is quite different.

“It’s a mission-driven company instead of a sales-driven company,” Hern said. “Our biggest thing is that we want women to be protected and safe. We want to make a difference in women’s lives, whether that’s speaking with them or selling products.”

Safe could be Damsel’s line of emergency kits, and protected could be its line of stun guns and pepper sprays.

Started in Idaho in 2011 by founders and moms Mindy Lin and Bethany Hughes, Damsel in Defense sells defense products designed with women in mind.

“They wanted a line women would feel fashionable carrying,” the company’s website states.

The company has grown into a nation-wide web of independent consultants selling Damsel’s signature line of defense and emergency products. The independent consultants, known as pros, host parties at homes with friends and family. Hern is one such pro.

“I eat, sleep and breath Damsel,” she said.

Hern, based in Bremerton, has grown a team of about 10 Damsel consultants in the area. She said there are about 6,000 other registered pros across the nation, with about half who are actively selling.

The mission

There are quite a few national statistics Damsel pros such as Hern note. A child is abducted every 40 seconds, or a violent crime occurs every 26 seconds, Hern said, and a college student is four times more likely to be assaulted. Every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted in the United States, Hern continues, 1-in-3 women experience domestic violence, 1-in-5 women will be assaulted in their lifetime, and 1-in-5 women are survivors of rape.

“Nobody wants to think about horrible things happening,” Hern said, further noting that women should still be prepared for the worst. “We don’t put in our calendars that we are scheduled to be assaulted today.”

Closer to home, the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office pursued a total of 1,703 cases with female victims From January 2013 through September 2014. The number only reflects the total cases that the prosecutor pursued, and not the total number of cases forwarded to them by local law enforcement agencies. Some reports are sent to the prosecutor, but, for example, if the case is weak or difficult to prosecute, it won’t see a courtroom.

Out of the 1,703 Kitsap cases with female victims, the bulk stems from domestic violence crimes. A total of 256 cases were assault charges, while 1,447 cases were for domestic violence ranging from domestic violence-assault, to domestic violence-stalking or domestic violence-unlawful imprisonment and others. The most prevalent domestic violence charge was for assault with 720, followed by cases that resulted from the violation of a court order — such as a restraining order — at 401.

Deputies with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office are the first called for crimes reported in the county, not including cities such as Bainbridge Island,  Bremerton, Port Orchard and Poulsbo. The sheriff’s office also doesn’t respond to reports in the county’s two tribal lands, Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam. From January 2013 to September 2014, deputies were called to a total of 70 rape crimes with female victims; 18 of those calls were for rapes that also involved domestic violence. Deputies were also called to five reports of voyeurism.

Further numbers by community can be difficult. Not all police departments can divide data by victim type. The Poulsbo Police Department, however, can. From Sept. 4, 2013 to Sept. 4, 2014, for example, Poulsbo’s police officers responded to a total of 70 calls with female victims. The calls were for assaults, harassment, kidnapping, rape, threats, violation of protection orders, and voyeurism.

It’s such numbers that give Hern a reason to plan another party.

“It’s not always a stranger. It can be somebody you know, and a lot of people don’t always think about that,” she said. “Women that have not had something happen to them, know someone who has had something happen to them.”

“You’re educating them as a consumer, you’re not just selling them a product,” she said about the Damsel in Defense difference. “The mission is to equip, empower, and educate.”

Hern said she was first introduced to the company at a gun show. But she notes that guns are always the appropriate tool.

“Part of the reason I got involved with this is because I wasn’t raised with guns, but my husband, being in the military, taught me about it,” she said.

But guns can be a whole other class of defense.

“I hear people say all the time ‘just go get a gun,’ but if you don’t have the right training or education then you are just as much at risk of being hurt by gun,” Hern said. “This is a good middle ground for people that may not want to get a gun but want to carry something. Or if they can’t take a gun everywhere and they want to carry something else.”

Hern said that while Damsel sells stun guns and pepper sprays, the company and mission is not promoting violence. Rather, it’s about being educated on certain realities, and being prepared for them.

“People sometimes call our stuff weapons, and in a way they are, but they are tools. They are self-defense tools,” she said. “They are not meant to cause fear, they are for being protected if something happens to you. It is for being prepared and being able to defend yourself.”

Lines of defense

The products that Hern and other pros in the region sell are based around security and defense; from flashlights and personal alarms to pepper spray and stun guns. Damsel’s unique take on personal defense, however, removes much of the machismo commonly found in such products, and adds a little style in its place. Therefore, unlike a black matte finish apt for Batman’s utility belt, these products are more for those with feminine flare.

“I have men that actually purchase these products, and many husbands support these products. But our market is women,” Hern said. “It’s like an accessory. It’s like if you get a new bracelet or something, it’s just there.”

“They are made to be stylish, cute and comfortable so women want to carry them,” she said. “It’s kind of a conversation piece.”

The stun guns, for example, come in three models: the “pack a punch” which is a basic hand-held box; the “get a grip,” a more sleek, chic version; and the “striking distance,” a baton that puts a little more distance between a person and their attacker. Each are stunning, even when not in use, coming in colors such as pink, teal, lime or purple, and a more fashionable look.

Even the wristlet — a cord that wraps around a person’s wrist and connects them to a stun gun — can be upgraded with more bling. The wristlet is important, Hern notes, because it is connected to a pin in the stun gun. If an attacker tries to take away the device, the pin will pull out and deactivate it, rendering the stun gun useless.

There’s also a range of pepper sprays, boasting differing decor and uses. Damsel also sells the “Hot Lil’ Hand” a glove that holds pepper spray in a palm while walking or running. And there’s the “Sock It To Me,” a blunt striking/stabbing device that fits in the hand and on a key chain.

But the lines don’t stop at self defense. There’s the “Hermergency” line; a series of kits for tough times. The Junk in the Trunk kit, for example, includes jumper cables, drinking water, a first aid kit and more. There’s also the Stash on the Dash kit, containing first aid and hygiene items for on the go. Damsel also sells security items such as door alarms, personal alarms, child trackers and flashlights.

Hern said that Damsel’s products stand out as an alternative to others that might not seem as attractive to women.

“Before this company was started, a lot of fathers and mothers got nervous about their kids going to college,” she said. “They would give them a big, ugly pepper spray can that would never leave the room.”

Damsel in Defense consultants, including Hern, can be found on the company’s website, www.damselindefense.net. The website lists two consultants in the Kitsap area, including Hern. Another is listed in Tacoma.