That’s the word from a Gallup survey, which showed 15% of U.S. women owned guns in 2016. Flash forward just six years, and by 2022 that number soared to 22%, a full 46.7% increase in gun ownership in this demographic.
The ownership level for men remains steady at roughly 40%.
The numbers for gun ownership for women and men differ in other aspects as well. Pew Research found that nearly all women and men cite protection as a reason they own a firearm, but the numbers quickly divide for those who cite it as the only reason. Over a quarter of women, 27%, said that self-defense was the only reason they are armed compared to just 8% of men.
The study also showed that women begin handling weapons later in life than men. The average age of first-time gun owners among women is 27 years old. For men it is only 19.
In a report on the rising numbers of female firearms owners, Fox News spoke with weapons instructor Jane Milhans. She operates an all-female firearms training program near Tacoma, Washington and is on the board of the Washington State Rifle and Pistol Association.
Milhans also donates around 100 hours of her personal time every year to work with women who want to become more comfortable around weapons. As she described it, “this class is a very beginners safety class. It’s ideal for the person who’s afraid to shoot.”
She walks students through a couple of hours of gun safety basics and answers their questions before taking them out to the range to get their feet wet with handling rifles and pistols.
One trainee, Jessica McCoy, told the outlet that being around weapons made her nervous. “You always hear about the accidents, of course little kids getting shot at. It’s to me, very intimidating. And so, I want to be more comfortable handling them.
McCoy said she is married to a law enforcement officer, but the couple has only gone shooting once together in 11 years. Safety is not a concern when her husband is home, but she admits to worrying about her wellbeing and that of her children when he is away.
“When he is gone, I don’t have that comfort and reassurance of someone that knows how to actively handle a gun and protect me from an intruder or someone who wants to harm us.”
Another woman, Lisa Olson, recalled an encounter with suspected car thieves in her residential neighborhood near Tacoma. She and her son returned home, and he immediately went into the house. But as she sat finishing a phone call, another vehicle pulled up beside her and a man exited the passenger door.
They stared at each other, and the man offered the flimsy excuse that he thought the car was his girlfriend’s and that it was her house. Olson told him that his girlfriend did not live there, and he got back in the car and drove away.
She later discovered that two men had been canvassing the neighborhood and breaking into cars.
Olson reasonably asked what she could hope to do against two men. “Being a woman and not as strong, we need something a little stronger to help protect us.”
Many violent criminals see women as nothing more than convenient targets. After all, it is a group that historically has not been prepared to defend themselves with lethal force if necessary.
Thankfully — and not a moment too soon — that narrative is quickly changing. Females are taking control of their protection in the same manner than men have done for centuries.
