Women's Growing Interest in Guns Good for Everybody

As an active Second Amendment advocate for quite some time, it does my heart good to see the written articles and television reports showing the rise in female gun ownership and training. Although gun ownership and gun owners have been under attack by the leftist media (redundant?) and politicians, monthly firearm sales have been increasing steadily for a couple of decades. Women are a large part of the reason for that trend.

It should be no surprise that women are starting to arm themselves. Women want to be safe and protect themselves. Ever-growing cuts to police forces have made them a reactionary force rather than a proactive presence. Dark lonely streets and campuses do not instill a sense of security.

Although sexual assault has declined dramatically over the past couple decades, the intensity in reporting these crimes has caused a misrepresentation that the frequency is increasing. A perfect example is the incredibly erroneous and false reporting by Rolling Stone in 2014 regarding a "campus rape culture."

I am not saying that women have nothing to worry about just because the media is trying to gain viewership by sensationalism. A single case of rape is one rape too many. The simple fact is that biologically, males are larger and stronger than females. There is nothing sexist about that statement. It is nature and it is fact. That advantage can easily be removed by carrying a few extra pounds of steel (and/or polymer).

I encourage every woman in my life, friend or family, to learn how to use a firearm. I have taken many females to the range, with my wife, to train with or fire guns for the first time. Two months ago, we had family from Philadelphia in town. Philly is not the most gun friendly city. Like most urban centers with crime and Democratic politicians, the blame is pushed to firearms. For those who know nothing about guns, that falsehood is easy to believe.

We had the opportunity to change the opinions of a few of those Philadelphians. Two teenage girls, one teenage boy, their mother, and grandmother all got the opportunity to fire a gun for the first time in their lives. Although the mother only shot one time, the teenagers and their grandmom enjoyed their training. They learned the basics of gun safety, firearm terminology and the capacity of the gun to do only what the holder intended, whether for crime or self-defense. Although I take many people to the range, the satisfaction of teaching a woman to shoot is much more rewarding.

All one must do to understand what I’m talking about is just look to history. In the days before privately owned firearms, the strongest people or those with the strongest group of friends basically did whatever they wanted. It was hard for women to just travel to the next town without being assaulted. Times have since changed, and much for the better.

The gun industry has recognized this recent development. Gear is now being manufactured for, and marketed towards women. Although it is not only for women, the popularity of the single stack 9mm firearm is one example. There are clothing lines geared for women’s concealed carry. Purses and undergarments have been designed for the same purpose. Many of the most popular professional shooters, primarily sponsored by the major gun manufacturers, are women.

We must do all we can to encourage this trend since it is reaching a part of the population that was previously ignored by firearm companies and the gun rights movement. I strongly believe the future success of Second Amendment advocacy is tied to our ability to bring females into the fold. This should be an easy mission. Collectively, we all have the same goal. Women empowerment.

After all, "gun rights are women's rights."

John Cylc is an eight year U.S. Army veteran. He is also a contributor to LifeZette. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.