Monday, October 20, 2014

The Well Armed Woman

There were 8 million active concealed-weapon permits in the U.S. in 2011, and state-level tallies suggest that the number has risen by at least 1 million since. In Missouri, 19 is the minimal age requirement for getting a concealed-weapon permit. More than ever before, handheld guns are being bought for protection by everyone--especially women. 

Recently, I read an article in Times magazine titled Armed America by Kate Pickert. The article discussed why the number of people with guns has increased in recent years, which I immediately found intriguing. But what I found even more interesting was that "among the newly armed, state statistics show, an increasing number are women".  In Florida, for example, the number of female concealed-weapon holders doubled in 2010-2014, while male owners only increased 59%. Why? Possibly because women feel more vulnerable, more unsafe in their own lives due to the recent occurrences that appear on the news. In 2012, Carrie Lightfoot launched a company called the Well Armed Woman which aims to educate, equip, and empower female gun owners. The website offers holsters, eye protection, handbags, even bras equipped to hold handheld guns. But is it necessary?
A "Classic Hobo Concealed Carry Purse" from the Well Armed Women website
On one hand, I can see why some women choose to carry a handheld gun for protection. I think women can feel vulnerable around men, and with many the sexual assault stories in the news I can see the desire for protection. However, I don't think this means that every woman should be carrying a gun around in their purse. Lightfoot makes an interesting point in the article by saying some of the drawbacks of carrying a gun everywhere you go is the accessibility of it to other people, especially children. If you have a gun just tucked away in your purse, many people could access it, especially in a public place, when you aren't looking. I think if a woman feels it is necessary to have a gun on her at all times, it physically has to be on her, because it can be easily used against her.

I think this also calls into question the feeling of comfort and safety that seems to be lacking in our society today. If a woman can't leave her house without feeling unsafe, doesn't that say something about our country? Why should we have to be in constant fear of being attacked or harmed? I definitely think that women should be able to protect themselves, but I question if guns are necessary. What happened to learning "old-school" self-defense?

2 comments:

  1. Sarah, I think this blog post is extremely interesting and you raise a good question as to how safe women feel in our country today. Although I agree that a large amount of women in our country don't feel safe in public I don't think the answer to the problem is guns. For example, my sister commonly uses public transportation in Chicago and I have talked to her about how she doesn't always feel safe. Rather than carrying a handheld gun with her at all times she simply carries pepper spray or "mace" to protect herself. Guns have the potential to cause much more harm in public then a better alternative like pepper spray or mace.

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  2. Sarah, Nice job blogging throughout the term and a terrific post here. I like the link, the stats, the title, the image. The barrage of questions at the end feels a bit much. And your voice can be a little stronger from the opening sentence. You might also play with font for emphasis as well. Stop in to chat about these issues. But, overall, this is very good work.

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