Should women carry guns to ward off sexual predators, as a South Carolina sheriff recently suggested? He made the statement at a press conference after nabbing a rape/kidnapping suspect who already had a long history of arrests. He said, "I really think that would send a message to some of these people who can't control themselves that you better be really cautious who you mess with because they might be armed."
Of course, anti-gun activists are none too pleased about the statement. Caroline Brewer of the
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence told Reuters, "To encourage a woman to carry a gun is to encourage her to put herself at much greater risk of being shot and killed, and we would not recommend it." And anti-rape activists consider the remarks a form of blame-the-victim scapegoating.
But I see it differently. I think this is less about "blaming the victim" and more about the way we think about violence towards women in this country. Rather than focusing on education, prevention and awareness, we look for band-aid approaches, such as telling women not to dress like sluts, not to go out alone at night or urge them to carry concealed weapons.
I'm not against women practicing their Second Amendment right to bear arms if it makes them feel more safe. They should be properly trained to use them safely and know how to kick a little ass, too. But it'd be far more effective if we also did a better job of educating the masses about violent and sexual crimes against women so that fewer instances occurred, and so more people knew what to do about them when they did.
Look at the success of Take Back the Night crusades on college campuses and now, around the globe. The first event occurred 30 years ago, when the term "date rape" wasn't even in our lexicon -- it was one of those things we didn't talk about, mostly because women were made to feel like it wasn't a crime and that their voice wouldn't be heard anyway. Now there are Take Back delegations in nearly every U.S. city, countless rape hotlines that save lives and catch predators, and a month dedicated to domestic violence awareness, when even morning talk shows focus on the issue.
Ending violence against women takes intervention on a societal level. We need to make everyone as incensed about this issue as they are about terrorism -- and let's not forget that sexual terrorism has been around longer than any other kind.
That South Carolina sheriff was frustrated and fed-up with violent offenders ending up back on the streets. He was suggesting a method of protection that made sense to him. What makes more sense to me is to fix the laws that put first-offense, inner-city drug addicts in prison longer than someone who commits a sex crime. Let's put our loud-mouthed, lobbying muscle (you know, the way the media makes stories like this viral without considering the larger issues) behind things that can create real change.
Originally posted on sexyfeminist.com. Click here to read more.
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Focusing on the political arena, women could call for one-strike laws against rapists (one strike and you are out, doing life without parole) --- such a law would reduce rape tremendously and immediately. Women could call for law enforcement to work rape investigations assiduously and aggressively and prosecute rape cases diligently. Women could call on state legislatures to enhance the penalties for rape, so that rapists would serve ten or twenty or thirty or forty years behind bars instead of doing a year or two before being let out to prey again upon women and children. Women could ask for early childhood intervention to treat boys who show cruelty towards animals or younger children and prevent them from growing into psychopathic felons.
It would make sense, perhaps, to educate males to see women as real people instead of objects to be used and abused for male sexual titillation and gratification. This will be difficult in a patriarchal culture that worships males and considers them the normative humans, while women are viewed as decorative sexual objects valued only for their hotness and vaginas. It is instead easier to teach women self-defense and to be protective of their own safety, to avoid putting themselves in vulnerable positions, e.g., avoiding public drunkenness.
Education takes forever, especially in a population where most believe in the Takling Snake in the Garden of Eden story and the ideology of male Gods and male supremacy. Guns, Tasers, pepper spray, wasp spray and unforgiving laws, on the other hand, might go some way toward protecting women from male predators.
Men don't need education and they don't need to have their entire gender blamed every time some male does something violent.
The Catholic sex scandal involves thousands of MALE priests raping and molesting boys and girls. There is no sex scandal involving nuns, because by and large women do not rape or perpetrate sexual violence.
Up to 60% of men say they would rape if there was no chance of getting caught. 84% of men studied had engaged in acts legally defined as rape. Rape is not an aberration, but a common tool of patriarchal oppression. Patriarchy is the theory, rape is the practice.
Men like you who deny the sexual violence of men are a huge part of the problem. You cannot begin to fix a societal condition if you deny it exists.
Your tactic of painting feminists as radical man-haters is so lame as to be yawn-inducing. Feminism is not about hating men, it is about creating political, social and economic equality for women. Many feminists, like myself, are married to men, men who love women.
One can hate the crime without hating the criminal.
Fantastic idea.
Unfortunately, it does little to help those who are being attacked by one of the recalcitrant criminals who slips through the system. For those victims, ONLY a "point defense", an immediate on-site stopper will suffice. While there are many choices, only a few are useful in a broad range of circumstances. And those few generally involve gun powder and lead.
Ladies, get your CHL and get TRAINED.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd1SRtkhh-U
Meanwhile, I disagree with the Sheriff on his recommended caliber for concealed carry for women. Many women might find that a small .45 caliber handgun is a bit intimidating. Few assailants would ignore the threat posed by a .38, a 9mm. a .380, etc... There are many other options because there are many other wants/needs/desires and comfort levels. Find the one that is right for YOU.
ALWAYS keep safety first and foremost. Seek training and continuing education.
Any person who is interested in becoming an armed citizen for defensive purposes might be well advised to look up various articles written by Massad Ayoob who is an expert in this field.
Again, kudos to the author.