Lawmakers argue that arming women on campuses would reduce sexual assault

Pro-gun lawmakers across the country are beginning to argue that arming women on college campuses would reduce the frequency of sexual assault. Carrying concealed guns on college grounds is banned in 41 states, but lawmakers in 10 states have introduced bills that would legalize carrying guns on campuses.

One of these bills has been introduced in Nevada. Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, a sponsor of the bill who represents Nevada’s 4^th district (Las Vegas), said to the New York Times: “If these young, hot little girls on campus have a firearm, I wonder how many men will want to assault them. The sexual assaults that are occurring would go down once these sexual predators get a bullet in their head.”

Although there has been some support for such measures, there has been significant opposition for a variety of reasons. One of the most common objections is that colleges would become increasingly vulnerable to gun accidents due to high rates of drug and alcohol use on campuses nationwide. John D. Foubert, a professor at Oklahoma State University and the founder of a non-profit that seeks to end sexual assault through methods found to be successful in scientific research, told the Times that these bills show “a misunderstanding of sexual assaults in general.” He explained that sexual assault often starts with consensual behavior and that “by the time it switches to nonconsensual, it would be nearly impossible to run for a gun.”

Read more at The New York Times.

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