Gun Control

Pro-gun control - http://www.armedfemalesofamerica.com/

In observing female American’s perspective on the subject of gun control, it is interesting to see how women who are traditionally seen as the subordinate sex, their opinion and reaction to the ownership and use of guns. One website that caught my attention with their bold title is the ‘Armed Females of America’ which openly affirms their view that they are a group of women who are pro-gun control. On initial visit of their website, sprawled over the banner of their webpage is the Second Amendment from the Bill Of Rights, reinforcing the right for people to bear arms, regardless of whether you are male or female. The overall design and discourse on the website can only be described as quite extreme, reinforcing that they as women are trying to make a stand that they are ‘free’ due to the legislation in place that they are able to own firearms as a human right to protect themselves and their loved ones and are ‘prepared to fight’. Under their ‘mission’, the group state: ‘We always seek peaceful solutions first, but never underestimate the aim of… Armed Females.’ This seems to me to be a very aggressive way of promoting gun control, especially for females, which I do agree with the fact that women in any society are seen as subordinate to men, therefore why the connotations of guns i.e. violence and death, are always typically associated with men. Therefore, I can understand women not wanting to be dismissed by having the right to own a weapon for protection of themselves and their loved ones. However, this website seems to project a sense of extremism, due to the powerful statements they make. For example, in their frequently asked questions page, they reveal:

‘To some, our message may sound extreme. If you listen to the rhetoric of the anti's, more often than not, they are far more strident. Our position at AFA is, any persons, or groups that publicly (or privately) call for the destruction of any part of our Bill of Rights are the REAL extremists!’

‘The eye [in our banner] is a subtle message to our lawmakers and the other anti-freedom organizations in our society that says WE ARE WATCHING YOU!’

‘If you’re looking for a women’s organization to exchange cooking recipes, talk about child rearing or stitchery, then this is not the place for you.’

Anti-gun control - http://momsdemandaction.org/

In contrast, the website ‘Moms Demand Action’ want to promote gun sense in America. The organization was founded by a mother Shannon Watts, in response to the devastation of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The website seeks to help spread awareness of gun violence prevention, although they support the Second Amendment in the Bill Of Rights, they believe there has to be common sense with the responsibility of possessing a firearm. It sparks valid reasoning due to the devastation of the shooting at Sandy Hook, to decrease the number of lives taken of loved ones. This organization seeks to promote stronger gun laws to protect their main concern, children. They reveal ‘nearly eight American children are shot and killed every day’ which reinforces the terrifying reality that ultimately these weapons were designed to kill, yet are taking vulnerable children and adults lives. Their most popular campaign is #Groceriesnotguns, which they are trying to get large grocery stores to ‘adopt common-sense gun policies in their stores’, due to the current policy that allows any individual to openly carry guns into stores. The argument ‘Moms Demand Action’ are stating is mothers and their kids are shopping in these stores every day where there has unfortunately been fatalities concerning guns in famous brand grocery stores. Overall, the organization seem to have valid reasoning in my opinion as to why there should be more strict policies to protect the population to encourage a safe environment for everyone, as surely every citizen has the right and freedom to want to live in a better place without the impending effect of guns?