Glocker Moms: like soccer moms but with guns
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Version 0 of 1. Name: Glocker Moms. Age: Varies. Appearance: Terrifying. What's so scary about a suburban mother who works hard for her children? You're thinking of soccer moms. These are Glocker Moms. They are basically the same, except they own a gun and hate liberals. As in Glock, the renowned Austrian handgun manufacturer? You catch on fast. This sounds to me like an American thing. Right again. The National Rifle Association (NRA) claims that a quarter of the attendees at its recent annual meeting in Indianapolis were women, up from, at best, 5-10% a decade ago. It also put a huge poster of a female gun activist on the front of the building and handed out "I'm an NRA MOM" badges on the door. It must be very pleased with this development. Yes, pleased. And also probably keen to make the most of it. On the one hand, more American women do seem to be developing a love of guns. The number of female-held gun permits in Indiana, for instance, has risen by almost 43% in the past two years, and there are certainly more pink guns, targets and holsters on the market. What sane woman wouldn't want one of those? Indeed. On the other hand, gun manufacturers, which supply much of the NRA's funding, need to appeal to women and minorities to find future growth. Plus this is a very convenient riposte to Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a growing group of anti-gun activists that sprang up following the Sandy Hook massacre. Good idea. Bad name. That's your opinion. But they are not to be trifled with, despite their peaceful nature. Why would lots of women suddenly want a gun anyway? Mostly for protection from men, they say. Although statistics show that women with access to firearms are much more likely to become homicide victims – and to a greater extent than male gun-owners. Perhaps it's just that they don't have quite enough guns yet? The US already owns vastly more guns per person, as well as having a higher rate of gun deaths, than any other developed country. What about giving every household their own vat of anthrax? Have they tried that? Sounds like a great idea. Do say: "The rate of gun deaths in the US is more than 40 times higher than in the UK." Don't say: "Do your homework, punk!" |