Put personal safety first

SANDPOINT — More than 1.2 million violent crimes across the nation were reported to law enforcement in 2018, according to the FBI’s website.

While there was a decrease of 3.3 percent from the 2017 statistics, it is still critical for people to think about their personal safety before something happens to them. Daphne Robert-Hamilton said a lot of people don’t think about it until after the fact, which is one reason she has become so passionate about being a personal safety instructor.

“My whole thing is about empowering people, just to be aware of what is going on around them and not to be an easy target,” said Robert-Hamilton, co-owner of Kaleber, LLC, and a rangemaster at the Sandpoint Outdoor Shooting Range.

Robert-Hamilton is an NRA instructor in pistol, rifle, range safety, personal protection in the home, personal protection outside the home and home firearm safety. She is also an instructor for the NRA’s Refuse to be Victim course, which was held locally in November.

“I have taught many in Washington — that was the first presentation here,” said Robert-Hamilton, who moved to Sandpoint in May. “I think it went really well … we hope to have more in the future.”

Refuse to be a Victim is a non-firearm course for men and women that covers all aspects of a person’s safety, she said. During the class, they discuss crime prevention, security inside and outside of the home, internet security, travel security and more. After moving to Sandpoint in the spring, Robert-Hamilton joined the Bonner County Sportsmen’s Association where she met Brad Kruger, western region field director for the Friends of the NRA, who recruited her to help out with the course.

In addition to NRA instructor certifications, Robert-Hamilton said she is United States Conceal Carry certified in conceal carry, home defense and women’s self defense. She also offers two online courses — one on how to fit a handgun and another for women who are new to or thinking about concealed carry. The latter course is to help women get an idea of what kind of holsters would fit their body type and lifestyle, as that is something that is typically lacking when women take a firearm course, she said. The course are $30 and are done live online, lasting about an hour.

Robert-Hamilton is also available as a professional speaker on personal safety and has a specialized presentation for real estate agents. She also speaks on elderly safety, which she will be doing in Hope in February. The Bonner County Sportsmen’s Association will be adding new pistol and rifle classes in the coming year as well, Robert-Hamilton said.

Robert-Hamilton said she has been an instructor on personal safety for nearly a decade and has helped women who have been stalked, as well as some in domestic abuse situations. She does not demonstrate or teach any hand-to-hand combat techniques, however, as her credentials do not cover that. Her teachings, she said, is all about increasing awareness.

“I just want to give people a broad range of things to think about,” Robert-Hamilton said. “They need to tailor what works for them or does not work for them, but they at least need to have their eyes open to what is out there.”

For information or to contact Robert-Hamilton, visit her Iron Mountain Tactical Training Facebook page or go to im-tactical.com.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.