There are plenty of carry myths out there about women. But, the most harmful, and dangerous, myth regarding women and firearms is the myth that women shouldn’t carry at all. The myth is so dangerous because it can cause lives, that anyone who does carry a firearm should try to destroy the myth any chance that they can.
Those who have something against the Second Amendment, or the right of women to protect themselves, come up with numerous reasons why women shouldn’t carry. A couple of those reasons are listed below.
- Most guns are too heavy for women to carry
- A stronger male could overpower a woman and grab her weapon
Let’s go over the obvious. Both statements are incredibly sexist. To assume that women, as a gender, aren’t strong enough to carry a firearm is stupid. That’s the only way to say it. To say that a stronger male could overpower a woman, although on the surface appears to be logical, is just as stupid. The first statement isn’t even worth discussing. The second statement is the one that most everyone against gun ownership rights bring up to dissuade women from legally carrying firearms.
The male gender is more powerful than the female gender. There’s no use debating that. A single woman may be more powerful than 100% of the men on the planet. But, overall, the male gender is more powerful than the female gender in all mammal species, not just the human species.
I can see someone who just read the above paragraph saying, “See! I told you that a stronger male could grab a gun from a weaker woman and shoot her!”
Yes, that could, and has, happened. It’s a fact that a stronger male could take a gun from a weaker female and use that gun on the weaker female. But, stronger females could take a gun away from a weaker female. A stronger female could even take a gun away from a weaker male. A weaker female could even find a way to take a gun away from a stronger male.
The statement, a stronger male could overpower a woman and grab her weapon, doesn’t even make any sense because the person with the firearm has the power because…that’s the person with the firearm! The very fact that the woman has the firearm in her possession gives her the upper hand on an attacker, male or female.
Every week, we publish stories from throughout the nation talking about how a person has discharged his or her firearm legally. A lot of times, the individual who discharged the weapon is a “weaker woman”. These women have decided to protect themselves by acquiring firearms. They’ve also learned how to shoot their firearms. That, is the real, true fallacy, regarding the idea that women shouldn’t carry.
The truth is that nobody should carry unless that person has gone through the necessary steps to educate herself or himself about his or her firearm of choice. There’s more to owning a gun than just owning it. You should be educated about your specific firearm. You must be willing to not only take the necessary courses about your firearm but to also know the laws in your state regarding discharging your firearm. When it comes to firing your weapon, or even possessing your weapon, gender doesn’t matter. Education trumps strength every time.
If you’re a woman who wants to carry for protection, don’t let anyone dissuade you from carrying. Just make sure to educate yourself about the weapon of your choice, and read up on the laws in your state about discharging your weapon.
Sarah Carling
As a Brit living and working in the USA, her views on gun ownership and the second amendment have evolved over the years, allowing her to fully understand both sides of the gun control debate and she regularly speaks on the matter to help others understand why she feels the second amendment must be protected and why she chooses to be an advocate for the shooting sports.
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