From A Liberal (?) Feminist

[Dennis The B]

This blog was written by a feminist in the Seattle Post Intelligencer blog.

You could easily remove the references to women in some some areas, and substitute "human". This sums up our requirements to exist safely in society. One of the best articles I've read in a while.

Women, Handguns and Civilization

I posted the following comment on "The Firing Line":

The writer, Erin Solaro, is a self-described feminist. She has presented a detailed essay, which describes the responsibility women have to maintain their positions in society. It goes right to the core of the Second Amendment, and the right (also responsibility) to keep and bear arms. She's a firm believer in self-defense, and well understands the core concept to insure our continued civilization.

These were the concepts our Founding Fathers embraced, and knew that each citizen must understand to establish and keep our republic.

She addresses the usual propaganda espoused by the antigun socialists/collectivists, and takes apart those arguments in detail. She's also used statistical data to support her argument, and she shows that she really understands the concept of individual rights and responsibilities.

She may identify herself as a feminist, but she clearly writes like a libertarian.

I was impressed with her writing, and I sent her the following response:

Erin, this was a well thought out and written piece; and obviously comes from your heart. Bravo!!

As humans, we're required to rely on ourselves for our own safety and security. To do otherwise, makes us indebted and enslaved to another.

The late Colonel Jeff Cooper, who founded the Gunsite Academy in Arizona, and was a prolific believer in self-defense, wrote -"Fight back! Whenever you are offered violence, fight back! The aggressor does not fear the law, so he must be taught to fear you. Whatever the risk, and at whatever the cost, fight back!" (November 1993).

 

[Spotteddog]

She's swimming in the waters of the emerald city. Where you'd damned well better identify yourself properly if you wish to thrive politically/socially and economically! The only physical location on the third planet from the sun more P/C than Seattle is San Fran Nan's home. And possibly the upper east side of Manhattan? But yes, she get's 5 stars from me for being able to separate the fly s**t from the black pepper! It's just more difficult to cop to it, in these zip codes? But cop to it she has! And I say BRAVO!

 

[gunlovingirl]

I don't particularly like the word "feminist". I do agree that women should be given the same opportunities, protections, and rights as men. But whether the writer identifies herself as a feminist or not, I'm like to invite her to my place for a beer! And maybe a trip to the range. Before the beer of course! I see so many more women getting involved in shooting and CCW. I'm not the only gunlovingirl nowadays! And it's nice to see the guys welcome us and help us. So all you guys with wives, daughters, or SOs that you've gotten into shooting, give yourselves a big pat on the back too!

 

[BarbC]

The end of her article bears repeating:

Feminism is the simple proposition that women are equal in human and civic worth to men. Either our lives and liberty and property are as valuable to us as men's are to them, and we have not only the personal right but the responsibility of the citizen to civilization to defend them with deadly force or we don't.

If you don't think they are and we don't, you're not a feminist, you're a misogynist, which is to say someone who doesn't.

Yes, it really is that simple. And no, we can't agree to disagree. This is death ground, where you have to fight or die. If women do not fight for their lives and liberty, they will continue to be murdered and raped and assaulted with their perpetrators assuming little, if any, risk. We've seen enough of that.

No more victims.

 

[cmort666]

The end of her article bears repeating:

Feminism is the simple proposition that women are equal in human and civic worth to men. Either our lives and liberty and property are as valuable to us as men's are to them, and we have not only the personal right but the responsibility of the citizen to civilization to defend them with deadly force or we don't.

If you don't think they are and we don't, you're not a feminist, you're a misogynist, which is to say someone who doesn't.

Yes, it really is that simple. And no, we can't agree to disagree. This is death ground, where you have to fight or die. If women do not fight for their lives and liberty, they will continue to be murdered and raped and assaulted with their perpetrators assuming little, if any, risk. We've seen enough of that.

No more victims.

I've seen a thread of misogyny in anti-gun opinion for decades. Back in the '80s and '90s, I saw posters to usenet, especially Brits, who explicitly treated women in general as blithering idiots who shouldn't be allowed to have a spork, much less a handgun.

One of them stated that women shouldn't be allowed to carry guns because he was afraid that he'd be "mistaken for a rapist" and shot.

I replied to him, "How is it that you conduct yourself around women that that's actually possible? Put down that butcher knife, pull up your pants and go home. You should be just fine."

My favorite LIE is that a woman who tries to defend herself with a gun will just have it "taken away" and used on her. If you have THAT much contempt for women's basic intelligence, why would you EVER allow women to be cops, fighter pilots, or captains of ships? After all, at the first opportunity, they'd just turn over their handgun, B-2 (WITH nuclear weapons), or aircraft carrier (with a LOT of nuclear weapons) over to the first man who said "boo!". Nobody with a 200gr. Gold Dot in their brain is going take ANYTHING except a dirt nap.

The biggest concentrations of racism, anti-Semitism and misogyny that I've ever seen reside in the anti-gun community.