In the last week of March, former Supreme Court Justice, John Paul Stevens, decided to shock the news cycle and take the March for Our Lives message one step further—by suggesting we repeal the Second Amendment. Are we forgetting one very important aspect of this debate?
April is sexual assault awareness month. Sexual assault survivor, Savannah Lindquist, believes that her right to self defense would have made all the difference on her college campus.
In an article for the Washington Examiner, Savannah describes the night when she became “another statistic.” Despite her lawful conceal carry permit and numerous gun safety classes, her campus was a gun-free zone and she was not allowed to have her weapon on campus.
Savannah explained, “My sexual assault made something very clear: My right to self-defense should not be up for debate.”
Following the March for Our Lives, Savannah was interviewed by CNN on her experience and how she felt about the growing cry for stricter gun control. “We are missing so much [in this debate]. The biggest aspect is the importance of self defense” Savannah argued.
Savannah is right—the right to self-defense could make all the difference for women. Women should be able to protect themselves, but due to these “gun free zones,” they aren’t given the option. In our Policy Focus, we explain how protecting the Second Amendment is especially important for women because a firearm is a power equalizer.
Savannah adds, “We must empower women and give them a choice: the choice to take their security into their own hands by legally carrying a concealed firearm on their public university campus.”
Unfortunately, it seems the loudest voices in the media are in favor of repealing the Second Amendment. I think we need to take a step back and consider who the Second Amendment is protecting, and what this protection is preventing in the first place.