Guardian (UK): Indian women turn to firearms against threat of violence

[friendly_iconoclast]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/21/indian-women-take-up-firearms

Indian women turn to firearms against threat of violence

Guns are increasingly popular with well-off Indian women who feel that they should be able to defend themselves against crime


When Dr Harveen Kaur Sidhu travels from her home in an upmarket neighbourhood of the north-western Indian city of Chandigarh, she always slips her lightweight .22 revolver in her bag. The gun is a new purchase – Sidhu got her licence only a year ago – but now the 33-year-old dentist won't travel without it.

"I don't have faith in the police to protect me. There are so many attacks on women these days. It's everybody's right to defend themselves. I think all women who are vulnerable should be carrying guns," Sidhu said. She is not alone. A growing number of well-off, educated Indian women are turning to firearms for protection....

...Gang rapes in the capital, New Delhi, are commonplace. One recent news magazine's investigation revealed widespread misogyny among the city's senior police officers, many of whom said the crimes were the fault of the victims.

"There are so many incidents, especially in Delhi. Women who are working or who are travelling should definitely have a gun," said Sidhu. She explained that changing lifestyles were making women more vulnerable, particularly single women working or coming home late at night. "Why should I be dependent on someone else, even my husband or the police, for my own safety? I should be independent," she said. "Imagine all the problems and mishaps which could be avoided if women could defend themselves properly. The females have to be self-armed and protected and should send out a strong message that we are not taking this anymore."

Video at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/may/21/india-women-guns-protection-video

[Skittles]

1. yup

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/20/world/la-fg-india-guns-20120221

Despite tough controls on weapons, Indians own about 40 million guns, the second-highest number in the world. Of those, 85% are unregistered Saturday-night specials involved in 90% of firearm homicides.

[gejohnston]

2. in absolute terms

percaptia second highest is either Yemen or Serbia. Number of households with firearms (legally privately owned) is a tie between US and Finland, then Norway, Canada, Switzerland (not counting military weapons).

To legally own a gun in India, you can only own one made by the government monopoly. They are expensive but low quality. Since, as you point out, they are unregistered, that means they were not legally obtained.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics#India

Speaking of "Saturday nigh special"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_night_special

[Skittles]

3. "gun culture"

HELLO

[gejohnston]

4. your point?

or do you have one?

[Remmah2]

14. "gun culture"

That's that green stuff that grows on your firearms when you don't clean them correctly.

Alternately it's a slanderous term used by bigots to lump all firearm owners in the same heap with the criminals.

[Simo 1939_1940]

23. Did someone belch out "gun culture"?

See sig line for a "somewhat" more intelligent comment on the subject.

[dimbear]

5. Hopefully she is aware that a .22 must be aimed very carefully to be effective.

Far better weapon for a woman: .32.

[ManiacJoe]

6. Far better weapon for anyone.

[dimbear]

7. She would be far better off with a chemical weapon like pepper spray, probably.

Thing about pepper spray is you and everybody else end up crying, but only the mugger gets arrested.

Plus if you lose possession, you only lose possessions.

Also I never heard of a can of pepper spray blowing up in your hand like a cheap gun.

My boss once was looking to buy a cheap Italian semiautomatic pistol. On the very first shot, the carriage went flying over his shoulder. Now get this: he tried another one. I swear to god. Of course, he could have been lying when he told that story.

[DanM]

9. Nope, pound-for-pound she is far better off with a gun.

[ManiacJoe]

15. Having both would be best since

they are for different situations.

[Callisto32]

16. No sir.

8, or even 6 .22's to the cardiopulmonary > pepper spray, on pretty much every possible scale but "condiment."

[Scribejohn]

26. Goodness gracious me...??

And the gun went...

Boom, diddy boom diddy boom diddy boom, diddy boom, boom boom... Goodness gracious me !

Peter Sellers' fans might appreciate that one... given the subject matter.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Second-Amendment-1-ebook/dp/B007A53RX0/ref=zg_bs_157321011_5

[DanM]

8. Gandhi would approve . . .

M. K. Gandhi:
“He who cannot protect himself or his nearest and dearest or their honor by non-violently facing death, may and ought to do so by violently dealing with the oppressor. He who can do neither of the two is a burden.”

[safeinOhio]

10. 72 year old grandmother defends herself.

Murders grandson with 40 cal Glock. Shoots him while he is on the phone with 911 and is still firing when cops get there. Grandson is shot 8 times.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120522/NEWS03/205220375/I-just-murdered-my-grandson-police-say-grandma-told-them?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

For three minutes, 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman pleaded for help. He told a 911 dispatcher he'd been shot in the chest by his grandmother and was about to die.
Then, he screamed out, saying he'd been shot again.
As officers arrived at the West Bloomfield condo Friday, they heard several more gunshots, Detective Brad Boulet testified Monday in 48th District Court in Bloomfield Township.


Cops aren't buying her stand her ground defense.

[oneshooter]

11. And what relation does that have with the OP. Trying to hijack the thread?

[safeinOhio]

12. "women turn to firearms against threat of violence"

ya gotta take the bad with the good.

72 year old grandmother claims she was afraid of grandson, threat of violence.

If you feel I hijacked it, feel free to alert.

[friendly_iconoclast]

17. Maybe someday you'll figure out that 'anecdote' is *not* the singular form of 'data'...

[safeinOhio]

18. In the field of social science

2 anecdotes equal data.

From my stat class in college. I should say one of my stat classes.

[Clames]

20. Your stat classes come out of a Cracker Jack box?

nt

[friendly_iconoclast]

21. Protip: Anecdotes are more relevant when they come from the same side of the planet...

...as the nation under discussion.

[safeinOhio]

22. At least my prof had a sense of humor.

and no one in the class got their shorts in knot over the comment.

[Xela]

13. Great story

Thanks for sharing.

Xela

[Meiko]

19. I had not realized that

crime in India had become such a problem, but I suppose it follows. Overcrowding,food shortages,unemployment...I am sure the list goes on and on. What is the population over there right now, 1.21 billion people. I can't imagine living like that. I watched an hour long program on India and man what a mess they have. I honestly would not even want to visit.

It looks like the women have been empowered over there and are taking the lead with the concealed carry thing, good for them. I wonder if there will be any new markets opening up for the sale of more reliable handguns. Even a business teaching firearms safety might be pretty lucrative. It will be interesting to see how this plays out or whether or not the Indian government puts a stop to it.



deleted link

[Simo 1939_1940]

24. Yes - great story.

Thanks for passing it along, FI!

[GreenStormCloud]

25. Their version of our NRA was recently organized.

Indians for Guns.

http://indiansforguns.com/index.php