I’ve recently been conducting in-depth research into organizations such as Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety (Everytown). As a staunch advocate of Second Amendment rights and the absolute necessity of these truths as they apply to women, I have been both stunned and appalled by the messaging being shoved down the throats of red-blooded Americans on the issue of our God-given right to keep and bear arms. Their rhetoric is not only misleading but downright harmful.
Some may say that my views of the Second Amendment are skewed toward right-leaning groups that are ultra-focused on gun rights advocacy. I can assure you that this is not the case. My opinions are evidence-based conclusions drawn from actual data reported by the Centers for Disease Control.
I am not a victim. I refuse to identify myself in that manner. However, I am a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. My truths are built on real-life experiences and the absolute understanding that the Second Amendment is often the only thing that stands between women and our ability to effectively defend ourselves and our children from threats – both known and unknown.
For example, Everytown claims:
A waiting period law requires a certain number of days to pass between the purchase of a gun and when the buyer can actually take possession of that gun. This creates a buffer between someone having a suicidal crisis and access to a gun.
What Everytown fails to address are two important facts. Between 2000 and 2010, most of the increase in suicide was due to an increase in hanging/suffocation. The proportion of all suicide by hanging/suffocation increased from 19% to 26%, and that by poisoning increased from 16% to 17%.
What does this as a society tell us? Individuals suffering from a mental health crisis in the absence of proper mental healthcare will find a way to accomplish their mission, whether they have access to a firearm or not. Suicide by hanging has significantly increased since the passage of stricter gun control laws state by state. This is a mental health issue, not a gun issue.
I am a dedicated advocate for expanding access to mental healthcare in the United States. As a nation, we fall short of this every single day: For our veterans. For survivors of domestic violence. For every single man and woman struggling in a society that they feel has left them far behind.
The second undeniable fact that Everytown fails to address is that a woman in crisis is often not afforded the luxury of time to wait. As a survivor, this issue is incredibly important to me on a very personal level.
Waiting periods to obtain a firearm can often mean the difference between life and death for a victim of domestic violence. Groups such as Everytown and Moms Demand Action fervently discourage the use of firearms as a means of self-protection. They claim that women in abusive relationships are five times more likely to be killed if their abuser has access to a gun. What they leave out is that a woman who is trained and prepared to defend herself with a firearm is far less likely to be a victim in the first place.
Groups such as Moms Demand Action and Everytown discourage women, minorities, domestic violence survivors, and the public at large from obtaining firearms as a means of self-protection. I recently paid for and participated in Everytown’s so-called “gun safety course.” As a firearms instructor certified by various national organizations, as well as the Massachusetts State Police, I was shocked and appalled by the messaging delivered during this purported training.
For example, Everytown cautions minorities against purchasing firearms, claiming that they are more likely to become shooting victims during police interactions. I do not believe that I’m alone in finding this messaging to be incredibly offensive. Members of Black and brown communities should not be discouraged from protecting themselves and exercising their Second Amendment rights in the same manner as white Americans.
Everytown’s training also talks about women in homes with abusers where guns are present and claims that we are 1,000 times more likely to be killed, while totally failing to address the fact that women can protect themselves through gun ownership. As a matter of fact, this course comes equipped with a quiz that must be passed to receive your certificate. An actual question asks: “Which of the following is true about owning a gun?” Everytown’s answer: “It increases a woman’s chance of being killed in domestic violence.” This shocking misinformation serves to endanger women, not protect us.
Other anti-gun rhetoric spread by Everytown as part of their course content includes:
- Informing participants that it is unsafe to keep a loaded firearm in a gun safe, suggesting that ammunition should be stored in a different room, separate and apart from the location of your firearm.
- Encouraging people experiencing a home invasion to hide and wait for police to arrive to avoid having to use their firearm. When danger is immediately present in our homes, we may not have minutes for help to arrive.
- Discouraging new gun owners from owning semi-automatic pistols and instead opting for revolvers. Why? Likely due to their limited capacity.
So why has Everytown for Gun Safety, an anti-gun organization, decided to release firearms training courses? Presumably to further demonize guns and gun ownership to a misinformed populace. Everytown is stoking fear into potential gun owners, not educating them on safe and responsible handling. Everytown is attempting to disempower women and their ability to protect themselves and their children, rather than supply them with the tools and knowledge necessary to maintain their personal safety.
As a well-trained firearms instructor, I challenge Everytown’s messaging. I choose truth over propaganda and strength over fear. I refuse to sit idly by and let these groups spread misinformation unchallenged, and I encourage everyone else to do the same.
