W.E.C.-one thing i took out of this is,
the women are frightened.
and the vocal ones - the ones who have no idea how guns function,and never saw one up close are trying to ban all guns as the answer,
and the rest of the women are signing up for ltc's and going for training.
we need women spokspersons, they will carry more weight,right or wrong, that's how I see it.
Thank you WEC. You are right. I went to the hearing at Cape Cod Community College yesterday, and the estrogen was all on the anti-2a side. Grandmother's Against Gun Violence, the Mom's Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and the Mass Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence sat with linked arms and yellow stickers on their cardigans. Now there were several female speakers, including myself, on the pro-2a side. The first focused on the infringement of sportsmens rights, and she did do a great job.
But we need to be louder.
The majority of the men who spoke for our side were well spoken, stayed on point, and stuck to the facts. The women who spoke for the anti's began most testimony with 'I cried for days after Newtown...I knew I had to do something' or 'As a mother of xyz I decided I can take no more'.
It's our turn to speak up.
I know you're out there. You're moms, nanas, aunts, daughters and you are proud gun owners. You go shooting at the range, you carry your pistol to work with you, you lock up your gun so you can drive your kids to school. You are responsible, law abiding female gun owners. But many don't believe we exist.
In fact, one DB stood up and on a tangent about Nancy Lanza threw out there that a woman with a gun is more likely to just be overpowered and have her own gun used against her. Is your blood boiling too?
These hearings are important. If these bills pass then 7 round magazines, one gun purchase per month, mandatory liability insurance, off site storage of large capacity firearms and a 25% tax on gun and ammo purchases will be the new reality. If you see this as a gross infringement of your constitutional rights, if this even slightly pisses you off, or if it makes you think, meh, that kinda sucks; then PLEASE, attend a hearing! Speak up! It's not that scary, in fact it's kind of invigorating. Let your MA legislators, your neighbors, that whole auditorium know that you are a lawful gun owner and that further restricting your rights will do NOTHING to combat gun violence. Criminals don't follow laws. More laws against lawful citizens won't stop criminals. Enforce the laws we have. Speak your mind, whatever angle you feel comfortable attacking. But this debate is sorely lacking the female perspective. We need to do something about it.
Thanks for reading my rant.