Conservative women's group: Gun control hurts women's self-defense

The Independent Women's Forum says Obama wants to "limit women's capability to fight back against attackers"

Published January 10, 2013 6:27PM (EST)

The conservative women's group the Independent Women's Forum says that a ban on high-capacity magazines would hurt a woman's ability to fight back against potential attackers.

In a statement, IWF senior fellow Anna Rittgers suggested that by banning high-capacity magazines and semiautomatic weapons, women will not be able to fight back. "It often takes several shots to stop one attacker," Rittgers writes. "If the maximum magazine capacity is 10 (or if all semiautomatic handguns are banned, but 6 shot revolvers remain), and a woman in danger has to stop and reload her weapon while trying to protect her children (who are likely hysterical at this point), it gives the bad guy an opportunity to react--potentially fatally."

She continues:

Laws limiting magazine capacity and availability of semiautomatic handguns will directly impact women, who use these weapons for self-defense inside and outside the home. Any executive action by President Obama to restrict guns will limit a women's capability to fight back against attackers and protect herself and her family.

Members of the Independent Women's Forum have previously been seen arguing that more women in Congress mean "higher taxes, bigger government, and less freedom,"


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Assault-weapon Bans Barack Obama Gun Control Independent Women's Forum Violence Against Women