Do women hesitate when using a firearm for self defense?

Status
Not open for further replies.
W

WeedWacker

New member
SO a long running debate between me and a dear friend is women's means of self defense. I'm on the side that would like to see more women carrying firearms. My friend believes that women should be more preferential to blades because they would hesitate if they were to use a projectile weapon and cites psychology as her reasoning. I have, as of yet, been unable to find any studies or statistics that point to this claim.

Have any trainers or other women in the community observed this phenomenon?

And even if it were true, wouldn't training help overcome any hesitancy?
 
H

hoytinak

New member
"Do women hesitate when using a firearm for self defense?"

Same as a man....not if they're trained right.
 
W

WeedWacker

New member
Same as a man....not if they're trained right.
Click to expand...

I figured it was natural reaction. Development of a new skill set dictates we need disequilibrium to form new schema. Without training in place and being thrown into an unusual circumstance forces us to form the new schema as the situation develops rather than accommodating the situation and falling back on our assimilated skills.
 
F

Frank Ettin

Administrator
In general, I don't think those sorts of categorical statements are true. A lot depends on the individual and the individual's training. And sometimes men inappropriate will hesitate (e. g., the fellow in the Tacoma mall).
 
S

Sparks1957

New member
No more than a man probably would, given the same level of experience and training.

In fact, many women are mentally "tougher" than some men, especially when family is at risk.
 
J

jmortimer

Moderator
There are significant biological differences, Thank God, between men and women and there are exceptions on both sides.
 
D

Don H

New member
FWIW, judging by the various news articles I've read and the inclusions in the Armed Citizen column in the NRA magazine, women don't seem to have much trouble pulling the trigger when necessary.
 
T

TailGator

New member
It is at the very least rash to assume that such blanket statements will apply to all individuals. While it may be safe to say that there is a tendency for women to be more nurturing, there are frequent exceptions to that rule, different degrees of expression, and situations where that nurturing is expressed as a protective instinct. My wife is a very kind person who is universally liked, but there is no doubt in my mind that she would have been absolutely fierce if she had been forced to defend our children when they were little. (And no that I think of it, I am not sure I would want to oppose her on those grounds even now that they are adults.)

I also find it very questionable to think that women would have any tendency towards finding an edged weapon to more acceptable than a firearm. My hunch would be that the closeness and intimacy of using a knife would be less acceptable for many women, to a somewhat parallel degree to which they would exhibit the nurturing thoughts above.

I would be really interested to hear Dr. Meyers' thoughts on this subject.
 
P

Patriot86

New member
My wife was about as hesitant as any new shooter when I was first teaching her how to shoot. Now she shoots a small 9MM better than I can. I still outclass her with a full-sized handgun like a P229 or CZ75 but damn with those small hands she can make an LC9, K9 or Shield do some magical stuff.

I wouldn't want to be the BG breaking into my home expecting my wife to flinch or hesitate. I am by no means a professional but I have instilled in her if you are going to point the gun at someone it should be because you intend to shoot them. None of this try to reason with, talk to, talk down , hold at gunpoint stuff you see in the movies.
 
J

j3ffr0

New member
According to Rory Miller, author of Facing Violence, everyone freezes (or hesitates) for at least a split second when attacked. He devotes an entire chapter to it. Training and awareness can help a person break out of the freeze in order to do what is necessary. If I'm ever attacked to the point where I need to call on deadly (and all attacks certainly do not warrant deadly force) I hope to use that split second of freeze time to make absolutely sure I have no recourse other than deadly force.

I've been in altercations before and had chances to seriously injure my opponent if I did what I trained to do. I've always held back, because it wasn't necessary -- I was able to end the threat without severely injuring the person. I hope I would hesitate at least a little before shooting another human being. I would venture to say that anybody who would shoot another human being without any hesitation whatsoever has a problem. Of course there is always that point of no return, but it's different for everyone.
 
M

markj

New member
Not all of them, me Granny shot a guy was breaking into her house way back in the 50s. She had no training, just knew how to put 2 shells into the double and point it, then pull the triggers.

My ma used to shoot a 357, was a super shot too.

Blades get all messy and are for close up. I got my gals tasers. Wife has her CC permit too.
 
O

Onward Allusion

New member
My friend believes that women should be more preferential to blades because they would hesitate if they were to use a projectile weapon and cites psychology as her reasoning.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I don't think so. In any event, a short edged weapon should be a weapon of last resort for anyone.
 
T

TAKtical

New member
Wow. A woman would hesitate to pull a trigger but have no problem using a blade for CQB style wet work? Unfounded and ridiculous. I know my wife wont hesitate. I thought I would be cool and sneak up on her while she was walking the dog and she drew on me so fast I thought I was about to die. Never doing that again. Dumb idea. I thought she needed a refresher course on situational awareness and I was (almost) dead wrong.
 
A

allaroundhunter

New member
If family is threatened, a woman would pull the trigger faster than a man. A woman's maternal instincts and sense of protection are much stronger, and that has been tested and proven (intentionally and unintentionally) many times over.
 
3

357 Python

New member
When I trained private security officers in the 1980s I had several women who had trouble qualifying. I would whisper in their ear and the next qual round they averaged of 30 point increase. What did I whisper to them? "Imagine you are at home. It is 3 maybe 4 in the morning and you are alone. You wake up to find some guy in your bedroom. He is there for one thing only and won't take no for an answer. This paper target represents that guy. You have to deal with this." That usually did the trick. After that they didn't hesitate at all.
 
D

Deaf Smith

New member
Quire a few men hesitate to..

It's in ones DNA. Most women are conditioned to be home makes/peace makers. That is why so few practice with weapons. Men, on the other hand, have their DNA coded to be hunters/protectors.

That does not mean all men or women are that way but the majority are.

And that is why you see the disparagency between the two.

And do note, very very few men are John W. Hardens. Very few.

Deaf
 
P

pax

New member
Nothing that I've seen would suggest that's the case.

Here's a quote from a 63-year-old woman in a recent news report: "I have a family to protect and that's what I did. I protected me and mine."

The woman, a 63-year-old homeowner, was awakened by a bad guy shoving a gun into her face and screaming at her to give him money. She fought back and won.

From http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/10/bessemer_woman_who_shot_intrud.html

She's not uncommon. My files are full of similar stories.

pax
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top