Women and Guns: Why Female Gun Ownership is Rising

[Subdeacon Joe]

http://politix.topix.com/homepage/5514-women-and-guns-why-female-gun-ownership-is-rising

 

Many people assume that "every shooter in the United States is a 50-year-old white guy," quips Natalie Foster of the website "The Girl's Guide to Guns."

Many people are wrong.

The number of women who owned guns spiked to 23% in 2011, compared to
13% in a 2005 Gallup poll. While the organization hasn't released
updated statistics yet, most think the rates will continue to rise.

But who are these women, and why are they choosing to arm themselves?

SELF-DEFENSE AND INDEPENDENCE

The average woman is not as strong as the average man. In a
hand-to-hand struggle, even if she goes to the gym five times a week,
the woman is probably going to lose.

Unless she has a gun, and knows how to use it.

"There's a famous quote...[that] goes, - God made men, but Sam Colt
made [them] equal,'" Jason Hanson, a former CIA Officer and the author
of "The Covert Guide to Concealed Carry," told TheBlaze. "A great
example of this is when a few months back, [an] 18-year girl in
Oklahoma used a shotgun to stop a home intruder who had a knife. The
bottom line is, a gun is without a doubt the best way for a woman to
defend herself in a worst-case scenario."

Kirsten C. Tynan, who describes herself as a "pro-self defense feminist," added in an email:

Whether I am in a high crime area, car camping alone on a

road trip, or hiking solo in bear country, carrying a firearm gives me

another tool to ensure my own safety without having to depend on someone

else. It opens up more opportunities for me because I don't feel I have

to have a partner by my side for my protection.