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Girls, Get Your
Guns
The spotlight on Supreme
Court nominee Alito's position on www.post-gazette.com/pg/05305/598540.stm
abortion has shone so brightly that abortion has
overshadowed another controversial question; where
does he stand on gun ownership. It is just one
example of how gun rights have been temporarily
pushed aside. Same-sex marriage, Hurricane Katrina,
the price of gas…these and many other pressing
questions are currently eclipsing gun rights. When
the issue reassumes center stage, some will be
surprised to see that it wears a somewhat different
face -- a more feminine face.
One thing is certain: The
issue of gun rights will keep emerging not only
because it has highly-organized advocates and
detractors but also because the average person has
become more concerned about personal safety in a
post-9/11 world. Recent events have heightened
people's concern.
For example, when the
infrastructure of New Orleans collapsed in the wake
of Katrina, many remaining residents were left
without police protection. News reports of roving
bands that looted, raped and murdered -- whether
those reports were www.wsws.org/articles/2005/sep2005/lies-s30_prn.shtml
accurate or not -- made people reflect on how
fragile police protection might be.
When the authorities in
New Orleans systematically confiscated
lawfully-owned firearms, many commentators
protested against leaving residents defenseless.
They echoed Dave Kopel, Research Director of the
Independence Institute, who www.reason.com/hod/dk091005.shtml
declared in Reason Magazine, "To the extent that
any homes or businesses were saved, the saviors
were the many good citizens of New Orleans who
defended their families, homes, and businesses with
their own firearms." Now those same good citizens
were deprived of self-protection.
New Orleans may be one
reason that Gallup's annual Crime Poll
(mid-October) revealed that people's confidence in
their local police to protect them from violent
crime poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=19783&pg=1
fell from 61 percent last year to 53 percent this
year, which is a ten-year low.
Whatever the cause, a
grassroots movement toward self-protection is
quietly growing; in short, releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=56575
people are arming themselves. According to the
www.ojp.usdoj.gov./bjs/pub/pdf/bcft04.pdf
Bureau of Justice Statistics [.pdf], some
60.4 million firearm transactions were approved
between 1994 2004. www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?ID=126
According to the
National Rifle Association (NRA), a gun-advocate
organization, "The number of NICS checks for
firearm purchases or permits increased 3.2% between
2003-2023."
The personal trend is
paralleled by a political one. www.nraila.org/images/rtcmaplg.jpg
The number of 'Right-to-Carry' States has risen
from 10 in 1987 to 38 currently. (Generally
speaking, the term 'right-to-carry' refers to the
right of responsible people to carry a concealed
weapon. www.packing.org/state/all_united_states
Packing.org
provides a good overview of the differences from
state-to-state.)
Pro-gun women have
gradually become more prominent in both the
personal and public arenas, though the evidence is
largely anecdotal. (Statistics on this trend are
difficult to locate and confusing; they have become
a source of controversy in-and-of themselves, as
gun-control advocates argue that claims of female
gun ownership are often inflated.)
Organizations dedicated to
female gun ownership are spreading from
well-established organizations like
http://www.2asisters.org/ Second Amendment Sisters
and www.womenandguns.com
Women and Guns to relatively new ones like
www.mothersarms.org/pr.html
Mother's Arms, which urges mothers to protect their
children with armed force if necessary.
Media accounts abound. For
example, ABC News recently abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1303400
reported (11/14), "When she moved from California
to Arizona, Judy Dutko, had a short list of
must-dos upon her arrival in her new home: obtain a
driver's license, join a church and register for a
gun."
Several factors may
contribute to the emerging prominence of female gun
owners.
One factor is the
increased presence of women in the military. More
women are becoming comfortable with the feel and
use of firearms. And, as the media showcases the
role of military women, the general public is
becoming more accustomed to -- and, presumably,
comfortable with -- the sight of women and
weaponry.
Another factor is the
active www.nrahq.org/women/prospective_coordinator.asp
recruitment of women that has been conducted by
pro-gun organizations over the last decade. For
example, the NRA founded the subgroup
www.nrahq.org/women/prospective_coordinator.asp
Women On Target. WOT expands women's use of
firearms from self-defense into the traditional
male-bastion of hunting and recreational shooting.
WOT www.nrahq.org/women/wot.asp
states, "There are currently about two million
American women who hunt and an additional four
million who enjoy target shooting. These numbers
are steadily increasing." According to NRA
spokeswoman Kelly Hobbes, the NRA's classes for
women have grown from 13 five years ago to 200
today.
Female gun ownership has
become more fashionable in a literal sense as well,
as companies like Browning Firearms illustrate.
About three years ago, the 109-year-old Utah firm,
renowned for producing quality guns, reacted to
market demand by establishing a line
www.browning.com/products/catalog/clothing/category.asp?value=007
A of shooting apparel
for women.
Another contributing
factor: the rise of unmarried women and single
moms. www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=32260
Such women may feel more vulnerable to crime and,
so, are more open to radical options of
self-defense.
Daily life and normal
concerns will slowly reassert themselves in the
wake of controversies, tragedies, and disasters. As
this happens, gun ownership will be among the
issues to return in full force. Indeed, if the
furor over San Francisco's recent sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/09/BAG9RFKD1C82.DTLP
ban on guns is any
indication, then that process is well
underway.
Some advocates will be
pleasantly surprised to see that the feminization
of gun ownership has continued throughout the
chaos; guns have become a 'women's cause'
conducted, www.wagc.com/index.html
as Women Against Gun Control proclaim, by "ladies
of high calibre." Others will be
appalled.
Me? I'll be on my feet,
applauding the women (and men) who are standing up
for their human and Constitutional right to
self-defense.
©2007, Wendy
McElroy
* * *
Wendy
McElroy is the editor of ifeminists.com
and a research fellow for The Independent Institute
in Oakland, Calif. She is the author and editor of
many books and articles, including her latest book,
Liberty for Women: Freedom and Feminism in the
21st Century. She lives with her husband in
Canada. E-Mail.
Also, see her daily blog at www.zetetics.com/mac
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