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Women and firearms (or not)

My mother is a senior citizen. Being involved in the folk music scene, she often travels great distances by car, alone, to camp at outdoor gatherings. She carries a handgun.

This past Thursday, for the first time in our country's history, the Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that the Second Amendment guarantees the individual right to keep and bear arms. Woohoo!

Megan McArdle speaks of guns as the great equalizer between attacker and attacked, and wonders why more feminists don't push for gun ownership. "Guns are a feminist issue*," she says. (Note: I am merely repeating what McArdle says; please don't read anything into this about me.")

It's an interesting question, especially in a society in which owning firearms is such a political issue. The comment thread to McArdle's post is full of statistics and counter-statistics, arguments and counter-arguments, including the claim that "guns are a masculinist issue."

Geez. Must we genderize everything?

Yeah, I guess so...and worse. (Extremely poor taste alert...don't say I didn't warn you. Read at your own risk.) Good grief. (addendum: I suppose I should let you know that it's about the NRA and homoeroticism)

*HT: Mark O. at Stones Cry Out

Comments

I don't know what gender the gun issue is, but I do know that if people are going to carry guns, for goodness sake, they ought to take courses like the "conceal and carry" ones that are offered.

Guns are deadly tools, and they need both mental and physical skill to handle. I think we need more education on gun awareness. period. I am sure everyone discussing this agrees, but in the heat of the arguments it gets overlooked, when actually, every discussion is an opportunity to put in a blurb on getting oneself enrolled in such classes.
[that is my two cents]

Posted by: Ilona at July 11, 2008 10:03 AM
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