Staff Reports
Last week, there was a hearing in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance where several courageous women, some of whom are survivors of domestic violence, shared their stories about how gun control laws take away their ability to defend themselves. The hearing, titled “Second Amendment Rights Empower Women’s Rights,” shed light on the growing trend of female firearm ownership in the United States and the importance of women being able to protect themselves.
One of the powerful women who testified at the hearing was Shirley Watral, the state director of the Florida Women For Gun Rights Organization. Watral, who is a survivor of domestic violence and a professional firearms instructor, shared her harrowing experience of being held captive and tortured for 15 hours by a man she was once in love with. She recounted how she saw a gun as her only means of escape but was unable to use it effectively due to her lack of firearms training. Watral emphasized that gun-free zones and gun control laws are merely illusions of safety and do not truly protect women from harm.
"We need to stop penalizing responsible Americans, and punish the killers and criminals that are making our communities dangerous."
Watch Shirley Watral, a domestic violence survivor and the State Director for Florida at the Women for Gun Rights Organization, share her story. pic.twitter.com/X6vkF8m34z
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) December 13, 2023
Watral also expressed frustration with the leniency of the legal system towards repeat offenders, stating that soft-on-crime policies have made communities unsafe. She argued that passing additional gun control laws would not deter individuals intent on committing violence, and instead advocated for holding criminals accountable for their actions.
Furthermore, Watral highlighted the fact that most mass public shootings occur in gun-free zones, pointing out that these areas offer little resistance to attackers. She urged for a shift in focus to empowering domestic violence victims to defend themselves through firearms training and education, rather than discouraging them with skewed statistics and fears about their ability to handle firearms.
Another survivor of domestic violence, Geneva Soloman, a federal firearms licensee and owner of a gun store, also shared her empowering journey from fear to strength through firearm ownership. Soloman emphasized the positive impact that firearm education and responsible ownership can have on women, particularly those from vulnerable populations. She lamented the unintended consequences of gun control rules in California that disproportionately affect women, especially black women.
The hearing showcased the growing trend of female firearm ownership and the vital role that firearms play in empowering women to defend themselves. It highlighted the need for a shift in focus towards providing women with the tools and training necessary for self-defense, rather than restricting their Second Amendment rights through misguided gun control laws.
The testimonies of Watral and Soloman, along with the increasing number of households in America owning guns, underscore the importance of protecting the rights of women to defend themselves. This hearing served as a powerful reminder that gun control laws do not always have the intended effect of keeping women safe, and that empowering women through firearms education and responsible ownership can be a potent force for self-defense and empowerment.
