In Linda M. Hasselstrom’s essay A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun she elaborates the dangerous gender issues woman have to face in a daily basis. Especially independent woman like Hasselstrom have to take extra precautions when it comes to protecting themselves. Society strides for gender equality, but in reality equality is far behind. It can be very intimidating for women to be surrounded by a society where some men use sex as a tactic of fear and violence. Women should not live in constant fear just because men have been stereotyped to be more sexually superior over woman. It has been universally acknowledged in social media that men have dominance over women whether it be through sex or power. Also, women are stereotyped as
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More importantly females should at least be aware of her surroundings such as, surveying for signs of danger, avoiding unnecessary situations, and being more alert. Also, possessing a firearm might distract attempts to fix real issues like sexual assaults. For instance, unreported cases and poor effort from the police force has been motivation for women to make changes in legislation against sexual assault. Women should not own a gun if they feel they are not prepared to shoot another man being. Fatally harming an individual might be too much to handle even if there is a serious situation. Furthermore, Hasselstrom had the same moral dilemma when she was considering buying a firearm. Hasselstrom states, “The preparation was mental: convincing myself I could actually shoot a person” (Hasselstrom, 13). Women have to be physically and mentally ready to stop an attacker and cannot hesitate so she will not be a victim. Furthermore, if women panic and are not properly trained to use a handgun the situation could go far worse than expected. Possessing a firearm should not be the only way for a woman to protect herself from danger. There are many alternatives to keep women safe from harm, including women’s self-defense classes, pepper spray, tasers, or simply being around a group of friends. Drastic measures such as owning a gun would be a serious responsibility to handle. Nonetheless, women should always consider their options so no fatal mistakes are made when owing a lethal
More importantly females should at least be aware of her surroundings such as, surveying for signs of danger, avoiding unnecessary situations, and being more alert. Also, possessing a firearm might distract attempts to fix real issues like sexual assaults. For instance, unreported cases and poor effort from the police force has been motivation for women to make changes in legislation against sexual assault. Women should not own a gun if they feel they are not prepared to shoot another man being. Fatally harming an individual might be too much to handle even if there is a serious situation. Furthermore, Hasselstrom had the same moral dilemma when she was considering buying a firearm. Hasselstrom states, “The preparation was mental: convincing myself I could actually shoot a person” (Hasselstrom, 13). Women have to be physically and mentally ready to stop an attacker and cannot hesitate so she will not be a victim. Furthermore, if women panic and are not properly trained to use a handgun the situation could go far worse than expected. Possessing a firearm should not be the only way for a woman to protect herself from danger. There are many alternatives to keep women safe from harm, including women’s self-defense classes, pepper spray, tasers, or simply being around a group of friends. Drastic measures such as owning a gun would be a serious responsibility to handle. Nonetheless, women should always consider their options so no fatal mistakes are made when owing a lethal