Power

Indiana Lawmaker: Arming Women Is the Solution to Domestic Violence

A Republican lawmaker in Indiana stirred controversy last week when he suggested that women can prevent domestic violence with gun ownership, despite national statistics that show quite the opposite.

A Republican lawmaker in Indiana stirred controversy last week when he suggested that women can prevent domestic violence with gun ownership, despite national statistics that show quite the opposite. Gun laws via Shutterstock

A Republican lawmaker in Indiana stirred controversy last week when he suggested that women can prevent domestic violence with gun ownership, despite national statistics that show quite the opposite.

State house members have sought to raise awareness about domestic violence by having a different lawmaker each week present their take on the issue. Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) on Thursday said during his statement that women could be proactive against their abusers and defend themselves with a gun.

“There are options out there for women,” Lucas said. “Applications for a license to carry a handgun are up significantly in the state of Indiana, according to the Indiana State Police. Women can take it upon themselves to defend themselves.”

Lucas has received high ratings from the National Rifle Association (NRA) for his voting record on gun control.

Lucas’ comment comes as gun rights activists have pushed state legislatures to legalize concealed carry of firearms on college campuses. These activists have often justified their position by claiming that if female students had the ability to carry concealed firearms, they could prevent sexual assaults.

A meta-analysis of several studies has shown that domestic violence is five times more likely to end in homicide when a gun is present, according to research published in the journal of the American College of Physicians.

This coincides with other findings about the prevalence of violence when guns are present.

The more guns there are in a state, the more likely a woman is to die a violent death, including unintentional shootings, suicides, and homicides, according to a Harvard Injury Control Research Center study. This remains true “even after controlling for factors such as urbanization, alcohol use, education, poverty, and divorce rates,” reports the Atlantic.

Cam Edwards, the host of a NRA radio news program, criticized a University of North Carolina student publication for advocating against conceal carry on campus. An editorial in the independent student newspaper the Daily Tar Heel argued that concealed carry on campus was not the solution to campus sexual assault, and instead the focus should be on preventative programs.

Edwards argued that the “burden” of preventing sexual assaults and other violent crimes is on the victim.

“It is the truth that if you are the victim of violent crime or the victim of an attempted violent crime, it is not the patriarchy that puts the burden on you to defend yourself, it is not rigid gender roles, it isit’s a fact of life,” Edwards said.

The NRA has lobbied against proposed laws in state legislatures that would require relinquishing firearms as part of a protective order in domestic abuse situations.