Ninth Stage

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those that do what needs to be done and those that want others to do for them what needs to be done.

We’ve seen and heard it before; there’s the family that earns it’s own living, providing for their needs and desires through work and savings; then there’s that woman who demands welfare payments to support her children and complains about her “salary”.

Now Rebecca Peters, director of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) wants something done about “violence against women”. Her solution is, of course, for someone else to do what she believes needs to be done. She wants governments to disarm everyone, except the government, so that violence against women will stop. It’s a ludicrous idea of course but follows from the mindset that “others should do for me”. Besides, there’s another downside to this idea, hearing her speak makes me want to punch her in the mouth. I won’t of course, I’m a law abiding and civilized man, but disarming the subject citizens won’t take away the fists of men less law abiding.

Any attempts at disarming a population through the law depends on the population abiding by that law, that’s where the truism “When guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns” comes from. This truism leaves unspoken a result of outlawing guns: outlawing guns, in effect, is the same as up-arming criminals. So those most likely to commit gun violence against women, and men, have the balance of power tipped in their favor.

This most illiberal idea also hides a hypocrisy. Living in her ideal world Ms. Peters will, when threatened, call for the help of armed men. By making herself and every other law abiding subject citizen helpless, she places others at risk for her and their misfortunes. She doesn’t consider the immorality of placing the responding police force at risk unnecessarily, that’s assuming they arrive in time to be of help.

Violence and crime breed where they succeed. Like bullying in school, violence and crime wither fade and hide when someone stands up to it. Without an equalizer, without firearms, the weaker are subject to the stronger. Violence against women should flourish in a world where women are unable to respond effectively. That’s the world she strives for though I doubt she sees it.

Ms. Peters wants others to do for her what no one can do for her, what no government can do for her. The government cannot disarm the lawbreakers and no one can keep her from being a victim of violence, no one except herself. If she wants women to be free from violence she needs to make women stronger not make the law abiding weaker. She needs to keep arms freely available to all, even or especially women.