By Beth Baumann, Alien Gear Holsters
Love guns? Enjoy hunting or target practicing? Are you a concealed carry permit holder? Watch out! You just may be Senator Gillibrand’s (D-NY) latest target. Gillibrand told Politico’s Glenn Thrush that gun control is, in fact, a “women’s issue” and should be rebranded as such.
“This debate is relegated to the men. It’s about hunting? It has nothing to do with hunting,” Gillibrand explained on Thrush’s podcast. “Nothing in this debate has to do with hunting, and nothing in this debate has to do with the Second Amendment rights. Nothing… I think – I see the world in the lens of women’s issues. I’m making everything a woman’s issue. I want guns to be a woman’s issue.”
Yes, you heard that right. If you’re a man and you have a firearm, then you should have little to no say in what happens with gun-related legislation.
The Senator’s understanding of the gun industry – or lack thereof – is disheartening, not only for gun owners, but for women across the nation. Every issue, including gun control, is a woman’s issue. If a legislative decision impacts society as a whole, how can someone claim this is a women’s only issue?
As a woman, and a gun owner, I’m insulted that the Senator thinks so little of us. Women are smart and fearless. We can make our own decisions without having to throw the fact that we’re women in someone’s face. Does saying you’re a woman give your argument more merit? No. Does saying you’re a woman mean your opinion is more valued than a man’s? Absolutely not.
Aside from the gender argument is the bigger problem with the Senator’s comments: gun control is about the Second Amendment. Our forefathers gave us the right to bear arms. Being a gun owner in America is one of the greatest privileges enumerated to us in the Constitution. It doesn’t matter your reason for wanting to own a firearm, whether you want to hunt or go to the range. Your ability to legally own a firearm was granted to you in the Constitution, not by the government.
The problem with Gillibrand’s statements, as a whole, is the notion the media has perpetuated about women and guns. We’ve heard it time and time again: “women believe guns are used solely for hunting.” Do some women believe that? Yes. Do the majority? Absolutely not.
Women are smarter than the Senator is giving her gender credit for. The fallacy that she is putting forth has been perpetuated by the media and repeated ad nauseam, so much so that Americans are beginning to believe this notion as fact.
Almost every woman who I’ve encountered who has shot a gun has done so to prepare themselves for self-defensive purposes. They’re familiarizing themselves with their firearm so they know how to properly utilize their weapon should someone attempt to attack them or break into their home.
Beth Baumann is outreach specialist for Alien Gear Holsters, a concealed carry holsters company. She is also a contributor to PolitiChicks and TheBlaze.