I’m not a firearms expert, nor do I play one on TV. But I love guns, I’ve got something of a rep these days and I love to help people who can benefit from my experience (such as it is). For example, I recently helped a Facebook commentator pick out a holster for his wife’s carry gun. Thinking about it later, it would have been a lot better if I’d been Facebooking directly with the wife. It’s like that fish story: give a woman a gun and she’ll have a tool for self-defense. Help her choose a gun and show her how to use it and . . .
she’ll be better able to save her life, the lives of her family and other innocents. That’s what I call female empowerment.
But it’s not what a lot of feminists believe. They think that disarming men – rather than arming women – is the key to women’s safety so they want to pass laws that make it harder for everyone to buy a gun. In Why Gun Control is a Feminist Issue at mic.com, Sarah Dunn justifies that position:
Domestic violence is all too common in the United States. According to the Domestic Violence Research Center, 25% of women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. Of course, the fact that every one in four women have encountered domestic violence only accounts for the women who have reported these incidents, and actual rates may even be higher. When a gun is involved or even nearby, domestic disputes often turn deadly. On average, more than three women a day are killed by husbands or boyfriends in the United States.
The feminists demanding society disarm “for women” at risk of domestic violence – or other forms of “male aggression” – are assuming women are helpless against their attackers. Which could be true. But doesn’t have to be. They could be armed with the greatest force equalizer ever invented. An abuser could use the woman’s gun against her, but no “solution” to domestic violence – or any other kind of violence against women – is going to be perfect.
Gun control supporting feminists are completely unrealistic about the chances of gun laws reducing violence against women. With 150 million guns in the U.S., the firearms genie isn’t going back in the bottle anytime soon. Making it even slightly harder for Americans – women to buy a gun, gun control advocates put women’s lives in greater danger. My friend Justin said it best in a sarcastic Facebook comment:
I wish we could go back in time and uninvent the gun. Because then, bigger stronger men who could swing swords and axes harder than their enemies would go back to ruling the world. No more of this bullshit female “empowerment” and all minorities would be enslaved just the way they were meant to be. Without having disgusting guns to fight back, the weak and disenfranchised would have never forgotten their place in life, a life they should be thankful they were even allowed to have to begin with.
Justin is a firearms instructor. He teaches women to safely and effectively use their guns for self-defense. We agree that women should choose to arm-up to level the playing field. Men can lead them to armed self-empowerment, but they can’t make the journey for them. So while I’m happy to help men with arming their women and appreciate their care and concern, guys, let the ladies do their own research. For their own good.