Today’s handgun ruling from the Supreme Court is good news for women. As Megan McArdle says, the gun issue is a feminist issue because “guns are the only weapon that equalizes strength between attacker and attacked. It’s the only time when men’s greater speed, strength, and longer reach make no difference; if you pull the trigger first, you win.” She argues that feminists should “push for widespread gun ownership.” I agree with Megan completely. With a gun, a woman has a fighting chance to defend herself in her home, or, if permitted to carry a concealed weapon, on the street. As 126 female state legislators and academics wrote in an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court in support of overturning the handgun ban (H/T Volokh Conspiracy), the
Now that D.C. women have all of their constitutional rights, they can protect themselves rather than relying solely on others. Feminists should be proud. Child rapists may not get their due justice, but perhaps some rapists of adult females in D.C. will now get theirs.
