I Hate Gun Culture - My Wife’s Take

My Friend - Happy Saturday,

I asked my wife to write the next issue and gave her no prompts. She sent me this - Her take on the gun culture, why women who don't like guns should learn how to shoot anyway, and what is actually needed to be a part of the 2A community. When we first met she was adamantly against owning a gun. This is her perspective from the outside looking in and I think we would do well to consider what she has to say. Her words, but I stand by them. Thank you for reading.

I Hate Gun Culture
One of the biggest turn-offs many people, women in particular, have to the gun culture is the utter ugliness often depicted in a gun ownership lifestyle.  We see ex-military in camouflage, rednecks in flannel, gangsters in white tank tops, and hunters in orange.

There’s a sense of exaggerated bravado, recklessness, and pointless, “let’s shoot beer cans in our backyard,” acts of destruction with immature, boyishness that it’s no wonder there are half as many female gun owners as male ones.  To top it off, most of the women within the gun space are either caricatures of male fantasies, capitalizing on sex appeal and degrading themselves for likes and shares, or overly masculine tom boys attempting to show the world how tough they are.

So where do the rest of us fit in? The women who are far more comfortable behind the scenes than in front, the reserved women who have no desire to show off their bodies for attention, the women who watch Downton Abbey and love to craft and bake pies, or the quiet peace-loving women who create beautiful homes and live to nurture their families? Do we even fit in at all?

The short answer is, no, we don’t.  A proclivity for violence and aggression is generally a masculine trait that most women, myself included, have very little inclination for.  There are of course outliers, and more power to them, but the violence of guns and aggression of gun culture does not appeal to the nature of most women.  The sheer noise of gunfire is enough that even I, at times, will begrudgingly join my husband on the range.

You Should Shoot Anyway
So why would I encourage women to learn how to use a gun?  Regardless of its cultural representations, the most important part of gun ownership is to protect your life and your loved-ones lives.  The unfortunate reality is that this need outweighs our natural aversions to violence.  Our society has deteriorated exponentially in recent years and although women and children have always been easy targets, this has only grown worse in our modern times where strangers will more likely film your assault than attempt to help you.

I cannot stress enough the importance of learning how to protect yourself and being competent with a firearm is the best way to do that.  Your life and your wellbeing is tremendously valuable; do not underestimate its worth to those around you.  How many people rely on you, love you, and need you in their lives?  One of my biggest motivations for learning how to protect myself is the thought of leaving my husband a widower and leaving my daughter to grow up without a mother.

We don’t need bravado and boob jobs to be a part of the 2nd Amendment community, just quiet courage and competence to ensure we stick around for our families and loved ones.  Hopefully, with time, this culture will change, mature, and be more inclusive of those who need it the most.  I hope you will join me in being a part of that change.

With love,

Angela

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Exercise in the Use of a Gun

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Should You Always Carry a Gun?