In the wake of the Navy Yard shooting on Monday, I’d like to explore gun ownership. I’m not on either side of the gun-rights argument but I did start wondering whether or not this country would be any safer if more women bought guns.
As of 2011, it has been estimated that the number of women who own guns in this country is up to 23%. That’s about 15-20 million women and that number has surely increased since 2011. There’s a famous quote that goes, “God created all men, but Sam Colt made them equal” so many women feel like it’s empowering to own a gun.
Let’s take a look at some reasons why I think that it’s safer for women to own guns:
- Less violent – According to White House statistics women are more likely to be arrested for nonviolent crimes than men are and only commit 10% of all murders
- Don’t commit mass murders – Women tend to be more nurturing and are less inclined to take human life. There are some exceptions to this rule but there has only been one female mass murderer since 1982
- Protection not sport – More and more women of all demographics are arming themselves and one of the most commonly cited reasons is the need to independently defend oneself.
As one woman says, “It thrills me that more women are learning how to be their own heroes.”
Below are some websites geared towards women who own guns:
The Girl’s Guide to Guns: www.girlsguidetoguns.com
The Blaze: www.theblaze.com
National Shooting Sports Foundation: www.nssf.org
NRA: http://www.nrawomen.tv/ & http://women.nra.org/
Of course the “shall issue” concealed carry movement started in Florida in the 1980s as a response to a large number of women being assaulted in public. Once some women started carrying concealed handguns the incidence of that problem declined dramatically.
lwk
Yes, it’s been quoted everywhere that women carry & shoot for self defense reasons so it only makes more sense that more women have handguns.
Thank you for your comment!