By: Teresa Mull

Hispanics in El Paso, the recent target of a mass shooting that killed 22 people, are taking self-defense into their own hands, literally.

Reuters reports:

More El Paso residents than ever before crowded into a class over the weekend to become certified to carry a concealed gun in public in Texas after this month’s mass shooting at a Walmart store that killed 22 people.

Guadalupe Segovia, 35, was at the class with her two children. She said her military husband had long been pushing for her to get a concealed-carry license, which allows the holder to wear a gun hidden under their clothes or carry it in a purse when they are in public.

Segovia said she felt urgency to do the required training now after the attack hit close to home. “I’m still going to be scared, even carrying a weapon,” she said.

The vast majority of people at the classes were Hispanic; El Paso is a predominantly Latino city. Police say the accused gunman deliberately attacked Hispanics in the Walmart.

The owner of a local gun store told Reuters more than 50 people had signed up for his concealed carry class, whereas he normally averages about seven students in a class. He also doubled his gun sales and said two people in his class had actually been at the Walmart during the mass shooting.

Teresa Mull is editor of Gunpowder Magazine. Contact her at [email protected].