Milwaukee - A Milwaukee woman accused of firing a gun says the sheriff said it was OK for her to arm herself.

Police approached 36 year old Makisha Cooper Saturday about firing a gun.

Cooper told police she heard Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke on the radio say ``that she could own a gun to protect herself.''

Clarke aired a radio ad last week telling Milwaukee-area residents not to count on a rapid police response to 911 calls, and instead to take a gun safety course. Cooper told police she fired a gun once outside a house after getting into a fight with her niece.

In a statement, the sheriff says ``there is no parallel'' between this case and what he said.

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