Guns as a feminist issue

[catsittingstill]

Over at Feministe, they are saying that guns are not a feminist issue, in response to Megan McArdle saying on her blog that they are.

(McArdle redux: easy availibility of guns is good for women because you can fire a gun (and thus fight off a male attacker) without being strong.)

(Feministing redux: when you get right down to it, it doesn't *matter* that you can fire a gun without being strong; women in practice are more likely to be killed by guns than to defend themseves with one.)

What do I think?  First I think there's a tendency to revere, or revile, guns as guns--for a lot of people they're not just tools; they're symbols and the symbol gets in the way of evaluating the tool.

So I'm going to try to think about a tool to throw lumps of metal very fast.  Theoretically I could indeed use such a tool to fight off a bigger, stronger attacker, just as I could use a crowbar or a chisel or a plugged-in circle saw.  However:

1) Such tools tend to interest men more than women, in my experience (whether because of their symbolism, or because most tools to work metal get more use by men I don't know).  Easy availability of such a tool is more likely, I think, to promote its possession by men than women--just like easy availability of a circle saw is more likely to promote its possession by men than by women.  (Note that of course I agree that women use tools and of course I support a woman's right to use any tool that a man may use.  Just in case anyone was getting confused.)

1a) Such tools don't interest me, given the responsibility of making sure no bystander is hurt by them (I don't carry around plugged in circle saws everywhere I go either, for pretty much the same reason--in any given day I won't have a use for one, and subjecting myself and others to that hazard unnecessarily is stupid).  Like a seatbelt, this tool only works for self defense if you have it when you need it--I wouldn't tend to have it, and I suspect I am not alone or even in the minority among women in this.

2) You'd be amazed how many tools I am not strong enough to use without a mechanical assist.  Some among these have been examples of metal-throwing tools I was not strong enough to cock on demand.  I am by no means convinced that these tools are the promised equalizers that will make it possible for smaller weaker less aggressive people to fight off bigger stronger more aggressive people.

3) my life experience has been that where these metal throwing tools are highly valued and frequently possessed, women tend to be treated less equally.  Sometimes *markedly* less equally.  Make of it what you will.

4) the crucial element in all this is the willingness to seriously hurt or kill somebody.  My limited experience suggests to me that I'm not good at this (I'm fine with it in self-defense, in theory, but in practice I would hesitate).  I think that a lot of people aren't good at this--and furthermore I think women are in general less likely to be good at it than men.  The metal throwing tool does no good without the willingess.  The willingness takes actual training and/or experience.

So, no, I don't think guns are the solution for women getting equality or even for women fighting off attackers.  Some women will choose to carry them and that's fine with me.  But feminist issue?  Unless someone is trying to ban only women from owning guns, no, it's not.  Feministe wins.

Comments

[tradarcher.livejournal.com]

Women often out shoot men in competitions. It is a sport often women excelled in. There are many ancedotal stories that he takes her to the range to demonstrate his prowess at firearm shooting. He hands her a large caliber pistol. She does badly because of recoil but somehow likes the idea of shooting.
She does more shooting and gets quite good at it.
They break up.
She still shoots, often at matches that he is shoot at. She gets a higher score.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

There's a saying among the gun fans that "God made Humans, but Smith & Wesson made them equal."

My biggest issue with Mcardle is that her arguments apply also to men who are either old and frail, disabled and frail, or (like me) just Miles-sized. could be, it's a "feminist" thing as a subset of a broader "egalitarian" thing.

Then, there's another saying about how "it's not the size of the warrior in the fight--it's the size of the fight in the warrior". There's a lot of people smaller than me who could probably kick my ass just by virtue of wanting the win more than me.

I'm on the fence about guns. On the one hand, there's some evidence that they're like a cursed talisman such that just possessing one does something to change the owner's personality, not in a good way. On the other hand, if the conservative Christians continue their bid for world domination, I kinda don't want their side to be the only armed side.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

"Guns are a feminist issue" is panderspeak. The translation: "The pro-gun faction wants to enlist women in their campaign to get rid of gun-control laws".

[andpuff.livejournal.com]

Since McArdle seems to be referring to handguns, her theory that they're equilizers for the weak seems to be postulating that they're a 'point and shoot' tech. Well, in a way they are but the actual accuracy of a 9mm handgun -- which would be your most common caliber -- in untrained hands is low. There's always the "put it on full auto and spray the immediate area of your attacker" option I suppose but it seems to me she's vastly oversimplifying and that does make me wonder why.

I thought Susan from Texas' comment raised good points.

4) the crucial element in all this is the willingness to seriously hurt or kill somebody.

I think guns dilute this a bit because of the distance involved but... you can fight off a larger attacker by slamming your pen -- a perfectly legal accessory -- into his eyeball (if you hit hard enough, you'll actually go through the thinner bone at the back of the socket and into the brain) and yet, no one seems to do that so I think you're right on the mark with your willingness requires training and/or experience comment.

[dan-ad-nauseam.livejournal.com]

I was listening to Talk of the Nation a few weeks ago, and the guest (whose name I forget) pointed out that it is fairly common for a person who wields a gun in self-defense to end up having the gun turned on him or her.

[thymidinekinase.livejournal.com]

This xkcd comic resonated with your treatment of guns as tools. http://xkcd.com/444/

Speaking of firearms in Mexico

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

Look here.