A Christian Science Monitor article last week reported that fifteen percent of American women own guns—a small, but notable increase from five years ago.
The motivation is understandable. It’s hard to go a day without hearing about violence against women in some context in this country: rape is all over the evening news, domestic violence stories are omnipresent, and hate crimes come in waves. Yet it’s a harsh reality to face that women are feeling increasingly endangered and as a result, believe they need to take measures to protect themselves more so than they did in the past.
This notion is further influenced by a figure found in the same poll: women are more inclined than men to support new gun control proposals for Congress, and to support stricter gun laws in general. All of these statistics and factors point to one end: women feel like they need to be better protected in our society.
All this is added to by the fact that the Violence Against Women Act (the VAWA), enacted for the first time in 1994, had been reauthorized by Congress without any problem until October 2011, when House Republicans opposed its renewal because of expansion to include LGBT and Native American victims of domestic violence. Last Tuesday, it was passed by the Senate 78-22, leaving its fate in the hands of the House.
To many, there is no right answer—stricter gun control legislation is seen by some women to revoke their rights to personal safety. Women, many argue, deserve the right to protect themselves, and if guns allow them to do that, so be it.
To collegiettes across the nation, regardless of political affiliation, the notion that in this country, women often feel unsafe and unprotected, should be scary. The increase in female gun ownership is notable. The fact that women’s rights are becoming increasingly debated, and that our personal safety is emerging as what the Alaska Dispatch calls a “heated and emotional issue,” is nerve-wracking for what is to come.
If this worries you, take action. Send letters to your representative requesting or demanding their support for your rights and your protection. The fact that our right to safety is being called into question simply based on our gender or sexual orientation is alarming. Only time will tell what the fate of the VAWA will be, or if gun ownership among women will continue to increase, but at this point, measures must be taken to keep women safe. Do your part!