For years, women have been misled and discouraged from learning to use firearms for personal protection. The message that only others like law enforcement should be responsible for defending your life is not only misleading, it can be deadly. Don’t let this mindset stop you. Your life is worth defending.
Women around the United States, including New Jersey, have been shaken by the recent tragic killing of the 22 year-old Georgia nursing student, Laken Riley. Police have alleged that Riley was murdered by 26 year-old Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, while she jogged on dirt trails. While the killing is politically charged due to the salient immigration issue, it has also resulted in victim-blaming, and a barrage of recommendations for women on how to prevent such an attack.
It is all too common to see gendered violence: women murdered at the hands of men again and again. Responses to Riley’s murder have varied from calls for women to not run or jog alone, to telling women to carry knives or even pepper spray. But what about carrying concealed? Many women do not consider it an option because they have been scared out of it by anti-gun groups, like Moms Demand Action.
According to an international survey in which 9,000 runners were interviewed, 92% of women reported feeling concerned for their safety, and 51% were afraid of being physically attacked. See “92% of women are concerned for their safety on the run, according to a new study” by Alice Barraclough, March 10, 2023 (RunnersWorld.com).
By Theresa Inacker
