AndyC wrote:http://www.breitbart.com/big-government ... fectively/During October 20 testimony on the campus carry legislation currently under consideration by Florida lawmakers, Miami University law professor Mary Anne Franks contended that allowing women to be armed for self-defense will not accomplish much because they cannot use guns effectively.
According to the Herald-Tribune, Franks argued that guns are “highly effective” when they are being used for crimes, “but are rarely effective in preventing them.” And she suggested the idea that women will be able to stop a sexual assault with a gun is simply not realistic.
The Breitbart headline is taking Franks disingenuous statements out of context. What the anti Frank posits is a straw man argument:
According to the Herald-Tribune, Franks argued that guns are “highly effective” when they are being used for crimes, “but are rarely effective in preventing them.” And she suggested the idea that women will be able to stop a sexual assault with a gun is simply not realistic.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government ... fectively/She claimed that armed women will not be successful because most victims of such assault know their attackers. She said the only way arming a woman will help is if the woman plans on “going out on a date with her hand on a gun.” The Tallahassee Democrat quoted Franks saying, “Studies done by many, many professional[s] have shown that it is really, really unlikely for anyone to use a gun effectively in self defense, especially in cases of sexual assault.”
Her argument focuses only on the reactive use of a gun, when in fact studies support that just the perception of a potential victim being armed can prevent an attack:
Through in-depth interviews with 1,874 imprisoned felons conducted between August, 1982, and January, 1983, the government-funded researchers delved into the deep-seated attitudes of criminals on the questions of weapons choice, deterrence, attitudes toward “gun control,” criminal history, and firearms acquisition. The prisoners, studied under a grant from the National Institute of Justice of the U.S. Justice Department
Interesting article. You should save the link to share with other "know it all experts"Fifty-six percent of the felons surveyed agreed that “A criminal is not going to mess around with a victim he knows is armed with a gun;” 74% agreed that “One reason burglars avoid houses when people are at home is that they fear being shot.”
A 57% majority agreed that “Most criminals are more worried about meeting an armed victim than they are about running into the police.” In asking felons what they personally thought about while committing crimes, 34% indicated that they thought about getting “shot at by police” or “shot by victim.”
https://twg2a.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/ ... -a-victim/