Arm All Women
Give a whole new meaning to women’s choice
I’ve had this thought for a while that I think is a bit out there, but I feel deserves being talked out.
I’ve fired weapons before (a 9mm rifle, wax bullet revolvers, a .22 rifle, and a Glock), but recently, this election has got me thinking of what American women are going to be up against in the next few years, in the context of defending themselves. For context on why I was thinking this —
I Took a Pistol Class Last Week
A good friend of mine has been telling me for a while to get my conceal and carry permit (he believes things are going to go to crap in the near future; and I’m not sure I disagree). Maybe he’s a nut? Or maybe he’s just prepared.
Anyway, I’d never received formal weapons training, just shot with my step dad and father in law. Just cans and targets, no hunting.
But this 3 hour pistol class was pretty eye opening. First of all, if you’ve never shot a pistol, it’s hard to hit anything with them. As our instructor said, “there will be days where you can’t throw the gun and hit the target.” But it is possible to hit things with them, if you’re deliberate.
He went over the mechanics, from foot placement, to finger placement, stance, you name it. He talked through all sorts of scenarios and drilled into me the idea that: being accurate and knowing your weapon is how you can defend yourself with these weapons.
This might be the point in the article where you say, “Matt, why the heck are you talking about shooting mechanics so much? What about the women?”
The point of this class (and moving onto something like a permit or gun ownership), is to understand what these weapons are capable of. And whether or not I want (or need) to take that on to protect myself.
The class was around 10 people, one of which was a woman. She asked questions specific to her needs (i.e., weapons better for smaller hands, for tighter fit clothing). It made me think… there should be way more women at this class.
There are other tools and ways to defend yourself, but more important part than rolling into the gun shop and carrying out is training yourself so that you’re a threat to those that threaten you with a weapon.
And, importantly, not a threat to bystanders (our instructor stressed that “that bullet has your name on it until it stops moving.”)
The weapons training I think was a net positive for me, and one where I think women would benefit much more than I do (my chances of getting targeted for sexual assault outside prison are probably much lower).
I’m not a woman, but I have a wife and daughter. And what I want for them, more than anything is to —
Be Free from the Tyranny of Terrible Men
There are terrible men in this world. Pedophiles, rapists, sexual assaulters.
They prey mostly on women and girls. Part of what makes them powerful is their capacity for evil. Part of it is that they get away with being terrible because their prey can’t defend themselves. (And part of it might be a new narrative on the back of a Trump win).
In the moment where women are targeted, usually they’re in a position of powerlessness, where there’s no one they can trust. Sometimes it’s even a “close family member” performing the assault.
There’s really not many ways to be free from these men: they either must be put away or put down. Otherwise they’ll keep ruining lives.
I want my wife and daughter to be able to defend themselves. My wife is not very big, but she’s tough. And I suspect my daughter will grow to be bigger than my wife, and tough as well, but no matter what, I think, they’d benefit from —
The Equalizer
I’ve heard different numbers for strength comparisons between men and women, but I’d say for sure, that men are on average bigger and stronger. Women are increasingly on their own; so they can’t rely on a man to save them, they have to save themselves. And against a group of men, even the strongest woman can be overpowered.
I should say: I don’t want anarchy. I don’t want women gunning down men in the streets because they perceive a funny look.
But I want men to perceive women as a threat, instead of as a victim. To think twice before they attack. And I don’t know of any tools that exist besides weaponry to equalize the situation.
I get the fear about guns; guns can be misused. That’s why the first step isn’t to arm all women, but to train them on how to be most effective with the weaponry at their disposal. That means training them on how to operate a concealed pistol as well as any other weapons that might help them (pepper spray?).
In the United States, guns are an available option for citizens. In other places you’d have to resort to other weaponry that’s not as effective, but if you’re going to be jumped by a group of guys as a woman, a gun is your only reasonable defense.
Raise the Price of Assault
I think the price of failure for evil men is too low. They get away with things they shouldn’t. I think women’s choice should extend to choosing: should assaulters get away with it?
The answer is no.
Do I personally think arming everyone makes us safer? No. But I think right now it’s the men who are safe and secure and act with impunity, when they should be afraid of consequences. I think we need to flip the script.
These next four years, I think women should take the opportunity to rethink what it means to choose: to choose to arm themselves against men who just want to take from them.
If you have ideas on how women could protect themselves better, let me know! I’m not a self defense expert, just trying to talk something out.
