mmckee1952
New member
by CTD Suzanne
Lately, I have been reading articles in the news about the high percentage of women gun owners in India. Compound that with the 2012 Olympic medals for womens skeet, it is obvious that women in other countries shoot guns and shoot guns well. It had me wondering about womens gun ownership around the world. The United States is not the only country with a deep-rooted gun culture. Yemen, Finland, Switzerland, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, India, and Cyprus all have high levels of gun ownership. Many of those listed countries have a tradition of gun ownership just as we do.
When I started digging into the topic further, all I found in the global discourse of female firearm ownership was statistics on gun violence against women. Like the American media, international media tends to focus on the “bad” things and violence that people with guns cause. I wonder why we are the only country that keeps statistics on gun ownership. Countries that allow citizens to own guns with much tighter restrictions that include registry and licenses to own a firearm seem not to report those numbers. However, what I did find was interesting.
Canada
The latest numbers I can find for the United States are that 23 percent of women report owning a firearm. In 2011, women firearm ownership was higher than it has ever been. Canada’s numbers have been growing, as well. In 1991, 18 percent of Canadian women owned a firearm. The January/February 2012 edition of the Canadian Firearms Journal reports that 50 percent of shooters in Canada are women.
Switzerland
Switzerland has 46 guns per 100 people. Their high numbers are due to their standing militia. Every able-bodied male must serve in the militia. They keep their government-issued rifles at home. Switzerland has the fourth largest gun ownership in the world. They are also big shooting sports fans. Every year, Switzerland hosts the biggest rifle competition in the world. I read that it is not uncommon, nor scary, to see Swiss men and women with a rifle slung over their shoulder. I could not find any numbers on how many women own a firearm in Switzerland. Women can volunteer to be a part of the Swiss militia, even serve in combat roles. Currently there are 1,050 Swiss women actively serving in the military.
Yemen
Next to the United States for people who own firearms, Yemen is second. Firearms are a rite of passage, honor, prestige, and believed to be a necessity for self-defense in Yemen. The rise in female gun ownership in Yemen is becoming more public. One gun storeowner reports that women do come into his shop to buy guns and these women tend to be workers and businesswomen. Another trend in female gun ownership in Yemen is college students. One woman reports that her father bought her a small gun for protection and that she keeps it in her purse. She says her friends also carry guns, “I discovered that most of them carry various guns in their bags.”
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has one of the strictest firearms regulations in the first world. Even their law enforcement agents do not carry a firearm, however, the English have a tradition of hunting and clay shooting. Every year, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) hold a game fair that promotes hunting, archery, fishing, shooting, and other outdoor sports. During the fair, the CLA holds Europe’s longest shooting show. The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation reports that 12,900 women in the U.K shoot at least once a month.
Saudi Arabia
Legally, women in Saudi Arabia cannot own firearms.
Legally, women in Saudi Arabia cannot own firearms, but lately rising crime rates have some women publicly announcing that they want to own firearms for protection. There has been a push for firearms and self-defense training facilities strictly for women. However, religious and political leaders have stated that the country prides itself on protecting women and there is no need for women to own a firearm. Only time will tell if Saudi women will get the right to defend themselves.
India
India is a different story. 1 in 50 gun purchases are from women. Indore, India reports 250 women have a gun license. In Punjab, an area that borders Pakistan, which is part India and part Pakistan, 31,000 women have a license to own a firearm. More women own a firearm in Punjab for self-defense rather than for sport shooting. Punjab clearly has a gun culture. One 59-year-old woman reports that kids learn to shoot at a young age. She learned to shoot at eight years old and remembers fond memories of hunting with her father. In Delhi, the largest city in India, 20 to 22 percent of applicants to own a firearm are women. One can obtain a license to own a firearm if they can prove a threat to their safety. One woman said:
"Why should I be dependent on someone else, even my husband or the police, for my own safety? I should be independent. Imagine all the problems and mishaps which could be avoided if women could defend themselves properly. The females have to be self-armed and protected and should send out a strong message that we are not taking this anymore."
In 2011, the Indian government denied a license to 600 applicants. In fact, India may have bypassed Yemen in gun ownership. Either way, Indian womens gun ownership seems to be growing at a rate as fast as the United States.
In Punjab, 31,000 women have a license to own a firearm.
I wonder why the world’s women are silent on the issue. I understand the silence of women in countries were women are traditionally second class citizens, but countries were women can serve in combat roles in their military, such as Switzerland, confuse me as to why there aren’t more hard numbers of women who shoot. So why is it that in the United States we hear about gun ownership daily? I can only conclude that the United States media is to blame for perpetuating myths of gun ownership.
Lately, I have been reading articles in the news about the high percentage of women gun owners in India. Compound that with the 2012 Olympic medals for womens skeet, it is obvious that women in other countries shoot guns and shoot guns well. It had me wondering about womens gun ownership around the world. The United States is not the only country with a deep-rooted gun culture. Yemen, Finland, Switzerland, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, India, and Cyprus all have high levels of gun ownership. Many of those listed countries have a tradition of gun ownership just as we do.
When I started digging into the topic further, all I found in the global discourse of female firearm ownership was statistics on gun violence against women. Like the American media, international media tends to focus on the “bad” things and violence that people with guns cause. I wonder why we are the only country that keeps statistics on gun ownership. Countries that allow citizens to own guns with much tighter restrictions that include registry and licenses to own a firearm seem not to report those numbers. However, what I did find was interesting.
Canada
The latest numbers I can find for the United States are that 23 percent of women report owning a firearm. In 2011, women firearm ownership was higher than it has ever been. Canada’s numbers have been growing, as well. In 1991, 18 percent of Canadian women owned a firearm. The January/February 2012 edition of the Canadian Firearms Journal reports that 50 percent of shooters in Canada are women.
Switzerland
Switzerland has 46 guns per 100 people. Their high numbers are due to their standing militia. Every able-bodied male must serve in the militia. They keep their government-issued rifles at home. Switzerland has the fourth largest gun ownership in the world. They are also big shooting sports fans. Every year, Switzerland hosts the biggest rifle competition in the world. I read that it is not uncommon, nor scary, to see Swiss men and women with a rifle slung over their shoulder. I could not find any numbers on how many women own a firearm in Switzerland. Women can volunteer to be a part of the Swiss militia, even serve in combat roles. Currently there are 1,050 Swiss women actively serving in the military.
Yemen
Next to the United States for people who own firearms, Yemen is second. Firearms are a rite of passage, honor, prestige, and believed to be a necessity for self-defense in Yemen. The rise in female gun ownership in Yemen is becoming more public. One gun storeowner reports that women do come into his shop to buy guns and these women tend to be workers and businesswomen. Another trend in female gun ownership in Yemen is college students. One woman reports that her father bought her a small gun for protection and that she keeps it in her purse. She says her friends also carry guns, “I discovered that most of them carry various guns in their bags.”
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has one of the strictest firearms regulations in the first world. Even their law enforcement agents do not carry a firearm, however, the English have a tradition of hunting and clay shooting. Every year, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) hold a game fair that promotes hunting, archery, fishing, shooting, and other outdoor sports. During the fair, the CLA holds Europe’s longest shooting show. The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation reports that 12,900 women in the U.K shoot at least once a month.
Saudi Arabia
Legally, women in Saudi Arabia cannot own firearms.
Legally, women in Saudi Arabia cannot own firearms, but lately rising crime rates have some women publicly announcing that they want to own firearms for protection. There has been a push for firearms and self-defense training facilities strictly for women. However, religious and political leaders have stated that the country prides itself on protecting women and there is no need for women to own a firearm. Only time will tell if Saudi women will get the right to defend themselves.
India
India is a different story. 1 in 50 gun purchases are from women. Indore, India reports 250 women have a gun license. In Punjab, an area that borders Pakistan, which is part India and part Pakistan, 31,000 women have a license to own a firearm. More women own a firearm in Punjab for self-defense rather than for sport shooting. Punjab clearly has a gun culture. One 59-year-old woman reports that kids learn to shoot at a young age. She learned to shoot at eight years old and remembers fond memories of hunting with her father. In Delhi, the largest city in India, 20 to 22 percent of applicants to own a firearm are women. One can obtain a license to own a firearm if they can prove a threat to their safety. One woman said:
"Why should I be dependent on someone else, even my husband or the police, for my own safety? I should be independent. Imagine all the problems and mishaps which could be avoided if women could defend themselves properly. The females have to be self-armed and protected and should send out a strong message that we are not taking this anymore."
In 2011, the Indian government denied a license to 600 applicants. In fact, India may have bypassed Yemen in gun ownership. Either way, Indian womens gun ownership seems to be growing at a rate as fast as the United States.
In Punjab, 31,000 women have a license to own a firearm.
I wonder why the world’s women are silent on the issue. I understand the silence of women in countries were women are traditionally second class citizens, but countries were women can serve in combat roles in their military, such as Switzerland, confuse me as to why there aren’t more hard numbers of women who shoot. So why is it that in the United States we hear about gun ownership daily? I can only conclude that the United States media is to blame for perpetuating myths of gun ownership.
