The Armed Women's Attitude Test... by Massad Ayoob ...

[spin]

The media, both entertainment and news, have grotesquely skewed the public image of women who choose to responsibly own firearms for self-defense. Unfortunately, constant exposure to public image can affect self-image. That can be dangerous, whether the result is a woman who becomes anorexic or a woman who allows herself to be talked out of exercising her absolute right to effective personal protection.

This Armed Woman's Attitude Test is offered in the hopes of putting some of the false images into a proper perspective. Please circle A, B, or C in answer to each question.

try the test at: http://www.corneredcat.com/mindset/attitude.aspx



Note: the Cornered Cat is an excellent site for anyone interested in using a firearm for self defense. Check out the table of contents for the site: http://www.corneredcat.com/TOC.aspx

[DWC]

1. Already forwarded

to the women in my life.

SUPER!

[fasttense]

2. As a woman, I learned to handel a weapon in the military.

I do not consider using, hiding, carrying or shooting a weapon to be something to brag about.

My 7 year old daughter was once friends with the daughters of a woman who carried a gun in her purse. The woman bragged about it and all the children in the apartment complex knew she had a weapon in her purse. I would not allow my daughter to play in the woman's home because I thought the woman was being reckless with her firearm.

One day her 6 year old got a hold of it and shot off her sister's face.

If you are going to carry a weapon, do not brag about it. Do not flash it, do not treat it like a toy. Too many people have very little respect for safety requirements when carrying a firearm, especially those who brag about it and display it like a badge.

[rrneck]

3. Well said. nt

[YllwFvr]

4. thats your opinion

and you are welcome to it

[VoteProgressive]

6. And not one knows yours I guess. Wow. nt

[YllwFvr]

7. i oc

im used to people accusing me of flashing it. Just because they dont understand doesnt mean im bragging. Now being responsible with it is something different. The story referenced shows an irresponsible gun owner.

[VoteProgressive]

8. I think OC hurts the cause. Just people showing off.

[PavePusher]

9. Does un-camoflauged exercise of any other Civil Right equate to "showing off"? n/t

[VoteProgressive]

10. Give it a break. The civil rights part makes us look insane. It is personal protection.....

and open carry is just plain nuts. I would ban it myself....

Justice Antonin Scalia wrote concerning the entirety of the elements of the Second Amendment; "We find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation." However, Scalia also continued, "Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose."

I would add open carry to this limit.

[PavePusher]

11. Self Defense is not a Civil Right?

Huh. Got cites for that?

In the meantime, I'm sure you'd be O.K. with bans on activities that you partake in, but others find uncomfortable or frightening, amIright?
,
Basically, I get pretty fucking suspicious whenever someone says "I want to ban..." something that is not an actual, demonstrateable threat or harm to anyone. It's a pretty good touchstone as to others true intentions. Just food for thought...

[VoteProgressive]

12. All rights have limits......

Have you figured that out yet?

I am sure the cocaine dealer feels his civil rights are being violated.

So does the guy being sued for slander/liable.

Scalia, the RIGHTS (maybe your) hero even admits it.

I would add open carry to that limit.

It is open for discussion. Not set in stone. I have my CCW and when I see open carry idiots I tell them they are hurting the cause. Especially the idiots carrying at an Obama event.

People like you are not what I would call responsible gun right promoters.

[PavePusher]

15. There is no limit to the right to self defense....

as long as you were not engaged in behavior that was a threat to others.

The S.C. did not address the limits of self-defense, nor did they define the limits on weapons.

I open-carried to a Giffords event two years ago. No issues. I open carry everywhere I legally can. I have never done anything irresponsible with my sidearm. I am not equivalent to a drug dealer, or one telling falsehoods about others. Please do me the curtousy of not equating me with criminals, until you have evidence that I have likely commited a crime.

Edit: You still have not addressed the question of what constitutes "showing off" in contrast to Civil Rights.

[VoteProgressive]

18. If you Open Carry I consider you hurting the cause......

It is just you wanting to show off. Just to prove you can. That is your right so go ahead and do it. But I don't have to congratulate you for it nor do I have to like it or you.

The idiots in my state, the Westboro Baptist Church also exercise their 1st amendment rights by protesting at dead soldiers funerals. I think they are idiots also.

No different to me.

[PavePusher]

19. Wow, again you conflate me with people harming or wishing harm on others.

I ask you to cease and desist that line of accusation.

And again, please address the questions posed to you. That would be more productive than your arm-chair-internet assumptions about my behavior with a complete lack of evidence.

[VoteProgressive]

22. Drop the fake outrage........

The un-camouflaged expression of the 1st by the Westboro Church also offends me.

And do not even begin to pretend the courts have ruled Open Carry 100% OK. Many cities prevent it. The SCOTUS has not said nationwide open carry is a unalienable right. So how can you pretend that this is a 100% right? Drop the superior attitude when you KNOW this is still being decided.

You are really too out there for me to have a discussion with. I am pro CCW, shooting, and all for defending yourself against bad people. I am not the NRA loving, 2nd amendment, "pry my gun from my dead hands", "over throw the government", gun lover. Those people is what gives the cause a bad image.

[PavePusher]

25. Again with unfounded conflations and accusation.

Blacks were once restricted from various public areas in many cities. I guess that was not 100% a Right. After all, the S.C. hadn't given their "Rights" an official blessing.

Wow, it astounds me that you seem to believe that Rights are handed down from positions of authority and power at whim. Pretty much leaves me at a loss for words.

[VoteProgressive]

26. Who decides these debates if the courts do not?

I am really starting to wonder if you are using logic or emotions?

Of course the courts decide these rules.

Thus the "pursuit of happiness" does not allow me to sell cocaine.

And yelling "fire" in a crowded theater is not a 1st amendment right.

Please read this and research and read about "settled law".....

Justice Antonin Scalia wrote concerning the entirety of the elements of the Second Amendment; "We find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation." However, Scalia also continued, "Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose."

Open carry is not "settled law". Thus it is still banned in some places.

The bill of rights are interpreted by the courts. Always have been. Always will be. And there are always exceptions.

I am done debating this issue with you as you are not logical but emotional.

[hack89]

27. Protecting peoples feelings is not justification for any limit

if you can prove a demonstrable harm and your solution is the least restrictive solution, then yes a right can be limited.

You just need to show your evidence proving that OC does more than scare people and causes actual harm.

[YllwFvr]

30. i oc

I am in law enforcement, Nice job

[Upton]

13. Is there anything else you'd like to ban?

And who in the heck is "us" anyway? Your views on the 2nd Amendment and gun ownership sure aren't the same as mine...

[VoteProgressive]

14. Oh, believe me, the longer I am here the more I realize it. nt

[Upton]

16. You know..

you might strive for a little consistency. On one hand, you claim you support the RKBA, but then you turn around and propose a ban on OC ...sounds like a contradiction to me.

[VoteProgressive]

17. I have NEVER said I was RKBA. Find one post where I said it........

I am pro CCW. But I am not buying the 2nd amendment BS that the NRA throws around.

I think people have the right to protect themselves. With CCW if necessary.

The photos of the NRA leaders holding a old civil war rifles make me laugh.

All the bill of rights have limits. I think the 2nd does also. Deciding those limits is the gun debate.

[PavePusher]

20. Your cause would be better served if you could state those limits...

and offer facts and evidence to support them.

So far, we've seen nothing....

[VoteProgressive]

24. I have stated my limits.....

Dislike the NRA.

Dislike Open Carry.

I would legalize CCW in every state (with reciprocity to all states) as long as there was some basic Gun safety tested (closed book) and some basic firearm familiarity tested.

And for some reason my position here is anti-gun and "with the brady bunch".

[Upton]

21. Thanks for clarifying...

now I know exactly where you stand...with the Brady bunch and all the rest of the antis..

Interesting you don't see the contradictions in being pro CCW but not RKBA...Or, claiming folks have a right to protect themselves, but not believing self defense is a fundamental civil right. Whatever, those that would advocate restrictions on the constitutional rights of others have never made much sense to me anyway..

[VoteProgressive]

23. Wow, this place is interesting....

Either I am 100% with you or 100% against you.

I have been very pro-ccw, pro-shooting while on this forum. But against open carry and against the NRA. And now I am, according to you with the Brady group.

It amazes me you do not see how biased that makes you look.

[one-eyed fat man]

28. Some places have settled this question.

and NOT to your liking...

The Kentucky Constitution recognizes a right to bear arms as follows:

All men are, by nature, free and equal, and have certain inherent and inalienable rights, among which may be reckoned:

* * *

Seventh: The right to bear arms in defense of themselves and of the state, subject to the power of the general assembly to enact laws to prevent persons from carrying concealed weapons.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals had this to say in Holland v. Commonwealth in 1956.

"In our state the legislature is empowered only to deny to citizens the right to carry concealed weapons. The constitutional provision is an affirmation of the faith that all men have the inherent right to arm themselves for the defense of themselves and of the state. The only limitation concerns the mode of carrying such instruments. We observe, via obiter dicta, that although a person is granted the right to carry a weapon openly, a severe penalty is imposed for carrying it concealed. If the gun is worn outside the jacket or shirt in full view, no one may question the wearer’s right so to do; but if it is carried under the jacket or shirt, the violator is subject to imprisonment for not less than two nor more than five years."
emphasis added

For the most part, someone peacably going about their business wearing a gun openly in a holster will not draw undue attention in most of the state. The exceptions would be nervous apprehension by some people in the cities of Louisville and Lexington. Although the question did come up recently at the State Capitol. When asked, the Governor saw no reason to restrict "open carry."

Beshear Not Concerned About Capitol Gun Policy

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear sees no reason to change the current “open carry” policy for handguns at the State Capitol. Beshear says he feels comfortable and safe in the building. But even if he wanted to alter the policy, Beshear says he doesn’t have the authority.

“Gov. Patton did issue an executive order at one point I think banning weapons in the capitol. And that’s what caused the laws to arrive at where they are today and that is, the legislature is in control of that issue, and not the governor,” he said.

[spin]

5. The subject of carrying in a purse is discussed on the Cornered Cat Site ...

in the chapter "Should I Carry in my Purse?" children are mentioned.

***snip***

For instance, few women keep their purses literally on their laps the entire time they are visiting friends, even friends with children. Most women toss their purses casually over the back of their chairs in a restaurant (with the attendant risk of walking away without it). We shove our purses underneath our desks when we get to work, and don't think about them again all day. We plunk our purses into the shopping cart in the grocery store, then turn away to pick out tomatoes. But it literally only takes a split second for a purse-snatcher to do his thing -- and even less than that for a child or grandchild to get into your purse when mommy's not watching as carefully as she ought. There is literally no safe place to set a gun purse down if it is not locked up. But physically holding onto your purse all the time will definitely earn you some odd looks from your friends. You must be prepared for this fact, and consider ways to cope with it.
http://www.corneredcat.com/Holster/purse.aspx

Bragging about owning a firearm is discussed in the chapter Social Considerations ... Would You Carry a Gun to a Friends House":

***snip***

First, I'm very close-lipped about carrying. My immediate family knows, of course. Since I began writing, a jillion people in the mythical world called the 'net know about it. But if you knew me face to face, unless you brought the subject up, I wouldn't mention it. Even among my closest friends who know I carry regularly, I don't often discuss my carry status unless someone has a specific need to know. It's kind of like talking about my underwear: I do wear them everywhere, but there's no need to talk about them in polite company.

***snip***

I've never had anyone catch me carrying in their home without permission. Perhaps I'd feel differently about this if anything like that had ever happened. Instead, the single most uncomfortable moment I've ever had while carrying came before I adopted the tight-lips policy, when I tried to be a good (relative) and inform my (relative) that I was carrying in her home. She didn't quite kick me out of the house, but it was a near thing. I think the only thing that saved me was her knowledge that if she'd tried, her husband and mine would probably both have pitched a fit on my behalf. I felt guilty about that for years (still do, in fact) because there really was no need to make her so uncomfortable. She didn't need to know I was carrying in the first place! My gun was going to stay out of sight and under my control at all times. There was nothing she would have had to do differently simply because I had a gun with me. It was only my own selfish need for approval that made me tell her.

After that, I gradually got more and more close-mouthed. But I kept carrying. And it works that way for me. But things might be different for you. Maybe your conscience wouldn't allow you to smuggle a gun onto your friend's property. Or maybe you simply doubt your ability to get away with it, and would rather have permission in advance. Or maybe ... well, there are as many possible "or maybes" as there are people in the world. In any case, I would not urge you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable or uneasy. You are the one who has to live with yourself, after all.2

http://www.corneredcat.com/Social/friend.aspx

[rl6214]

29. "display it like a badge. "

Against the law in Texas. Concealed means Concealed. You don't display it, you don't show it, no one is to know you have it. If you display it you will lose your license.