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“Stop Gun Control Against Women!”
During the 2012 election, the Democratic Party hit on a poweful message: that the GOP is waging a War on Women by — as they tell it — restricting access to contraceptives, condoning workplace discrimination, and showing indifference to rape victims. These positions are, of course, deeply dishonest: Republicans opposed Democratic efforts to create new subsidies for contraceptives; Democratic claims about income disparity have been repeatedly debunked; and even Todd Akin’s notoriously ham-handed and factually inaccurate comments about rape were intentionally twisted to mean something he very obviously did not say.
Figuring out how to combat this narrative — and, more broadly, how to find ways to make the GOP more appealing to younger, single women who don’t live in deep red states — is not a new discussion on Ricochet. Stipulating that we don’t want to fall into the trap of fighting the last campaign all over again, it’s an idea we need to combat.
One approach is to show how Democrats use the rhetoric of feminism to restrict women’s choices; this not only combats the specific accusations of the WoW, but (rightly) re-casts the Left as the aggressors while emphasizing conservative values such as liberty and free association. Republican proposals to get the FDA to stop requiring — for no medical reason — that all hormonal contraceptives require a doctor’s prescription are a step in the right direction.
Another avenue is to talk about the 2nd Amendment as a women’s issue. Appeals to the 2nd Amendment not only provide a liberty angle, but — properly made — can also invoke issues regarding personal safety and empowerment. Though gun owners are still overwhelmingly male, that proportion has declined, and weapons specifically designed with women in mind are commercially successful. There’s a real opportunity here if we make our case properly.
Figuring out the right aesthetics on this is important. Someone like Kristin Joy Weiss is one kind of ambassador, but we should be realistic about the potential reach of a college-educated, professional sharpshooter whose weapons cost as much as discount cars and who hails from Nebraska. Cowgirls and armed belles are wonderful and important, but their ability to influence the kind of purple-state lady to whom the War on Women appeals has its limits.
Far more important are stories from ordinary women for whom firearms are an important but not a defining part of life. This should include women whose right and/or ability to protect themselves has been abridged, especially those who paid the consequences for the Left’s fears. Safety and training programs aimed at ordinary women, such as that offered by Ricochet member Barkha Herman, deserve not only our support, but also greater exposure.
Even more importantly, we need to highlight stories like those of Shaneen Allen. Ms. Allen — a single, working mom from Philadelphia — is currently facing at least three years in prison for not realizing that her Pennsylvania firearm license wasn’t valid in New Jersey, where she works as a nurse. She was arrested after she was pulled over for a traffic violation, told the police officer she was carrying, and presented her license. Democrats should be asked why they support laws that would punish honest citizens like Allen, and Chris Christie needs take some leadership on the case. Anyone interested may donate to Allen’s legal defense fund; I did.
[Update: the judge in Allen’s case has refused to dismiss it and she’s not pleading guilty].
The good news is that the Left is particularly clueless on this matter. A recent advertisement by gun-grabbing Everytown For Gun Safety that attempted to frame gun control as a women’s issue blew up in their faces when everyone pointed out that the circumstance it showcased made the case for women exercising their rights (one particularly good response provided me with the title for this post).
Photo Credits Flickr user Ready Tactical, and Ammoland.
Published in General
I’ve got a theme song for the campaign:
If there’s a war on women, let’s arm them!
What about cases of rape and incest, you ask? Well, why are you so comfortable with the idea that a woman can be raped in this country? Rape is unacceptable. I say we abort the rapist. And that means upholding a woman’s right to choose a firearm and a magazine that she is comfortable with. That is the ultimate birth control. If the potential rapist survives the encounter, then we throw him in prison without chance of parole, though in extreme cases we might consider the death penalty.
But then, that would be demanding that women act like dirty men, with all that awful violence and aggression that men infect the planet with. A war on women needs to be fought with nice, feminine resistance tactics…
…such as draconian laws and violent government enforcement.
Well said, Tom. The key is for Republicans to respond with stories and with counter-attacks, rather than play defense all the time. Don’t let Democrats focus the public debates. Control the topics.
In my deep red state the ladies are packin’.
After church one Sunday some months ago, I stopped to howdy a group of the ladies (ages 50 – 70) as they were having an animated group discussion in the parking lot. They were admiring a new carry pistol that one had brought to show. Our nice church ladies are range buddies.
Gun control is not an issue in our state.