Well, *I* would never put myself in a situation where I might need a gun to defend myself...
You are telling me, the woman who was raped coming out of her own office, physically attacked while pumping gas, robbed at the ATM.... is at fault for being victimized?? GTFOH.
Society plays a major role in victim shaming. Victim shaming plays a major role in the lack of reporting. Lack of reporting plays a major role in bad guys running amok. It's a cycle that needs to be stopped.
I have come to the conclusion that women who say things like this have either...
(A) Never experienced anything traumatic because they had a strong protector all their life OR
(B) Have experienced something traumatic but were so ashamed/shamed for it they just want to keep pretending like it didn't happen and the world is butterflies and rainbows.
Humans tend to do this thing.... when we can't fix something we attempt to normalize it or we just take it away.
Think about school dress codes. They can't stop boys from being inappropriate so... they ban any and all clothing that shows a bra strap, a shoulder, a knee. This not only just puts a bandaid on the boo boo... it ingrains in young girls they are the problem. And THAT.... that is silencing.
If you have children and have ever had a moment (or 1000) where 2 of them were fighting over the same toy... how many times have you just taken away the toy all together rather than investigating and punishing the child who did wrong?
I cannot tell you how many times I have done this! As a mom of 6, I was EXHAUSTED. All. The. Time. It always bit me in the ass in the end but, in the moment, it was worth it.
We will come back this in a minute. First, I want to ask you....
Have you ever been somewhere and heard a noise behind you that wasn't quite right? What did you do? If you took precautions and turned around to check it out, GREAT JOB!
If you told yourself, "Ahhh it's nothing. I'm just imagining things." ... that's called normalcy bias.
There is an excellent book called, 'Your Most Powerful Weapon- How to use your mind to stay safe', by Steve Tarini that talks about this.
Being proactive in your own safety is NOT paranoia. It's smart.
These are the stats for Dover VS U.S. average.
Is it a coincidence that as female gun ownership rises.... cases of forced rape have declined?
Currently, the fastest growing demographic in gun ownership and training is, specifically, black women. While gun sales and training are way up for all women... black women are taking control of their own safety at exponential rates all over the United States.
Statistics say, black and Latino Americans are victimized at much higher rates than whites, except when it comes to rape. Minority neighborhoods are more likely to experience higher crime rates in general. The kicker is, its also been proven that the majority of crimes are not reported.... or is it that their reports aren't taken to be priorities?
I'd say it's a combined problem and a "chicken or the egg" concept.
Looking back to 1865, we know that "slave codes" were renamed "Black codes". These "codes" were specifically enacted to prohibit blacks from owning guns.
Going back farther, in the 1600's Virginia enacted a statute that completely banned Blacks and Native Americans from firearm ownership in order to "prevent insurrections".
Sounds a little familiar to what's happening now. Except now, ALL AMERICANS are coming together and standing up to our government. They definitely can't have that SMH.
Then, in 1828 Florida did begin allowing "free blacks" to carry guns... *with* court permission (CCDW permits began).
This is the reason behind.....
Fast forward to 1994. The Clinton Administration introduced H.R. 3838 to ban guns in federal public housing. 3 million Americans lived in public housing at the time. Even today, the majority of Americans who live in public housing are minorities.
If you don't already know the history of freed slaves and government housing, you should look into it.
The most recent case of disarming those in public housing was in May 2014 when the NRA fought for a Wilmington woman's right to protect herself in her own home. If you haven't heard her speak... just know, I teared up when she spoke at the last NRA banquet.
Josephine Byrd took a stand for all who were left defenseless and I applaud her for her courage and strength. Many people have her to thank for their constitutional right to self protection.
You can watch her speak briefly here:
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/gun-hero-josephine-byrd-recognized-nra-membership-meeting/
In 2019 The NRA fought for this rape victim's right to own a gun in her own home. She also lived in public housing.
There are many examples STILL TO THIS DAY that show gun control is a product of racism and classism.
It's almost as if minorities are damned if they do and damned if they don't in the eyes of the government. Makes me wonder if that's why Delaware is placating minorities by offerings of state holidays in the name of racial equality. Do good... but not too good, that kinda mentality. Assholes.
As a white woman with mixed children, I can tell you there are differences in how people are treated based on how you are perceived. As a very young white woman who had 2 mixed kids & lived in state housing... my attacker was never charged for what he did to me. I was, however, treated like a part of the problem. Did these factors have anything to do with they way I was treated by authorities? I can't prove it so ((shrugs shoulders)).
I have had many arguments over racism. I would always say, systemic racism doesn't exist. I would say, people are assholes and will try to hold you back with what ever they can find to use against you. Weight, education level, acne. ... skin color. In my eyes, just another asshole finding one thing about you to focus on in efforts to tear you down.
After learning some things... maybe racism does exist. But then I also have to acknowledge the fact; the only one I see fueling racial wars IS the government and government controlled media. Are there racists scattered all over the world. Absolutely. But is it what the world is making out of it? I don't believe so. Perhaps division is just more suitable for those who wish to profit off of us.
We all know the justice system is seriously flawed and way behind in regards to outdated laws. Along with this fact, police departments are sparingly staffed and the average response time to an emergency call is in the neighborhood of 15 minutes. A lot can happen in that amount of time considering the average sexual assault is over in just a few minutes. Although... it sure doesn't seem like it, does it?
So, kudos to all the women taking back the control over their own safety. Kudos to all the new gun owners. Kudos to those who aren't so shrouded in "Ideas of what life *should* be".... believing it will never happen to them. The rest of us, we live in the real world and understand it can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time.
Now, what do we do with this understanding?
We train our minds to survive. To fight. To be proud of the skills and abilities we have taken the time to learn so that survival is the most likely outcome if attacked.
I am currently putting together a class for work (Delaware Tactical Training Group) on obtaining and maintaining a warriors mindset. It's a ladies only class on situational awareness, avoidance, and deterrence. I'm truly excited about it because not all women understand the power they hold in just their voice. We become so bogged down by what society expects of us that we have become okay with being silenced. Many women promote that silence... even demand it.
As a child and young woman, my mother would always expect me to do things in a way that would please others. I realize not everyone had "Mommy Dearest" for a parent but I believe there are a lot of young girls and women who don't know or who have forgotten just how important it is to set boundaries and live by them. We forget that saying No or being firm is actually defined as being TRUE TO OUR SELF. Not rude.
As women, it's natural to nurture and love others. We have to be careful to remember.... not all who approach us are looking for that. Some approach us with intentions of using that built in instinct to get something they want.
In a poll that was taken inside the prison system it was found...
1) Criminals target those who seem easy to control
2) Over 80% of criminals stole the guns from family, friends, vehicles, or bought them off some acquaintance off the street
3) Very few criminals were able to legally purchase and own guns before committing the crime that got them in prison
4) Criminals stated they were less likely to attack someone who they knew could be armed
My point is.... you can't legislate morality into those who have no morals. Ban guns all together, it will only be the lawful who do not have them. Add more gun laws to the already hundreds we have... does no good when the definition of a criminal is a person who disobeys the law.
Our government has become that exhausted parent. They want to just take it away rather than punish the one who committed the crime. Plus, with the push for prisons to become privatized (like our shitty medical & mental health systems)... less and less funds are available to maintain prison systems. Much like parenting, with out a 2nd parent in the home to enforce the punishment... exhausted parents just do what helps in the moment.
Right now, U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee in Texas, is proposing HR 127. This bill would ON A FEDERAL LEVEL create a national registry, require psych evals for potential gun owners, permits to purchase guns and ammo, and a whole other slew of requirements that treat law abiding good citizens as if they are the problem. Seriously, criminals don't buy guns from stores, do background checks, or submit themselves to psych evals ((face palm)). Why are we being punished because a criminal always finds a way to do criminaly things?
Despite the push for society to believe gun control is about our safety... did our government do anything about riots before it came to their doorstep? Nope. Gun control. plain and simple, is designed to protect the government from those they wish to control. Again, take a look at history.
Our best chance at remaining a survivor... or not a victim at all... is to be armed, trained, and prepared should a situation ever arise. We can't do that with a mindset of "That will never happen to me" because if it does happen... we will be scrambling in the heat of the moment trying to figure out how to save our self, child, or loved one.
And in regards to governmental overreach when it comes to our guns... get involved in politics. Remember, there is power in numbers. Don't let them divide us.