Bree

I'm interested in hearing opinions on the subject of women and handguns, specifically, women purchasing handguns in order to protect themselves against physical or sexual assault. Is this an adviseable, justifiable - or contemptable - action to take?

According to the Department of Justice, 241,000 rapes are committed every year. The ratio of rape victims between the sexes (men vs. women) come out to about 1:10. The number of violent crimes of all types is about 5,900,000; the majority of those violent crimes find men as the victim (3,100,000 vs. 2,800,000). One has to wonder, however, if the perpetrators of most violent crimes against men are other men, or women.

It appears there are two sides to the issue: one camp says that arming oneself for protection is OK (and allowed under US law), the other camp says that violence begets violence; in essence, the potential arming of half the population doesn't exactly solve the problem. However, the question has to be asked: how exactly is the "problem" of rape and assault against women going to be solved? Are women supposed to wait around patiently for this threat to disappear?

So, the morality of women owning guns for the purpose of self-defence against potential, past, and present assailants. Discuss.

Thanks to pz for the statistics.

yguy

The only way it's not advisable is if the woman lacks sufficient competence or presence of mind to be able to fend off or kill the assailant. As for contemptibility, that label is best reserved for those who would deny women or anyone else the right to self-defense.

Pyrrho

I think it is usually a bad idea to get a gun for defense. First, most people don't know how to use them, so they are likely to endanger themselves and others. Knowledge of gun safety is not required in the U.S. to own a gun. Of course, you can take a course on gun safety if you wish, and if you do get a gun, I strongly recommend that you learn about such things before making your purchase. So you can overcome this problem somewhat, though there is always a possibility of someone accidentally getting hurt.

Second, you have to be willing to use it when the situation arises; otherwise, you are simply providing a weapon for your attacker. Think very carefully about this: How do you feel about killing another human being, possibly splattering his blood on yourself in the process? Think about it very graphically. Would you kill an acquaintance who was a rapist? (Most rapes are from men known to the woman, so if you are not willing to kill the men you know, should the occasion arise, you will not be taking any precaution against your most likely attackers.)

Third, what if you kill someone who is not trying to rape you? This is more than a purely theoretical question, as you have to decide when to pull out the gun and shoot the person. At what point do you do this?

Fourth, it is generally better to try to avoid situations in which one is more likely to be raped. Mind you, no matter what you do, you don't deserve to be raped, but it is a good idea to simply avoid situations in which a rape is likely. (For example, drinking alone with a man you don't know very, very well is one of those more likely scenarios. If you are drunk, you cannot fight off your attacker as well as when sober—and your aim with your gun won't be as good, either, so to use the gun effectively, you would want to avoid such situations anyway.) This is what I recommend that you actually do: avoid situations that increase your chances of being raped. You entirely avoid the problems of having a gun this way. Of course, it will not guarantee that you won't be raped, but buying a gun is no guarantee either. No matter what you do, there are no guarantees. But if you avoid situations in which rape is more likely, you greatly increase your chances of avoiding rape. For finding out more about the kinds of situations in which rape is most likely, I recommend searching the Internet, and also contacting a rape crisis center in your area.


Now, as for the problem of rape, to solve that would require some cultural changes, not simply a change that one person is likely to achieve on his or her own. It would involve taking a look at who it is who commits rapes, and finding commonalities among them that are not shared by the population as a whole, and then trying to eliminate those things.

yguy

In a public setting, this is indeed problematic. If, on the other hand, a woman in her home finds that a man has entered it without consent and with any ill intent whatsoever, the law should recognize her right to blow the bastard's head off without regard to whether there was any intention of sexual assault. Problem solved.

Daleth

This is an unlikely rape scenario, and I don't think it addresses what Pyrrho was saying or the general purpose of the thread. First, I believe the law does allow you to shoot an intruder for no other reason than that they're in your home. Second, I think the OP is about women carrying guns in their handbags. I think what Pyrrho was getting at was something like what if you're just plain terrified of a mugger who wants your wallet but isn't making a physical attack on you, and you kill him? I think shooting someone before you were sure they meant you harm might be a greater problem for women who have already been raped (probably the women most likely to carry guns) because of generally increased fear.

Good topic, Bree. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Dal

yguy

I imagine the law would frown on that, but if I were on that woman's jury, my attitude would be good riddance to bad rubbish. I'd probably vote to fine her a dollar or something.

To be sure, even a woman who has been raped is responsible for her actions, and needs to look within herself to see whether she is up to the responsibility of carrying.

Pyrrho

That is more like what I had in mind, but someone can appear "threatening" without them ever having any intent to steal anything or harm anyone. If you think someone might be a danger to you, do you pull out your gun? After all, if you wait until they have a gun pointed at your head, it is probably too late to be reaching into your purse for your gun. But, if you don't wait until they actually do something, then you risk shooting someone who is completely innocent. Thus, there is a dilemma for when to use the gun. If you wait until you are sure that it is justified, it may be too late to use it.

Bree

:notworthy

yguy

Well dammit, I have to admit that, given the tenor of our recent conversations, your ability to recognize the ability of a stopped clock to be right at least twice a day says a lot for your sense of fairness.

Loren Pechtel

My take on this:

Guns are a serious decision. Don't do it on a whim, don't do it without training, don't do it if you aren't sure you can use it when the time comes.