As an 18-year-old living on a college campus, I am constantly reminded to be careful. Be careful when I take the light rail train, be careful when I walk to the gym, be careful when I visit friends across town.
From those two sentences, almost anyone could probably assume my gender. And that is the fundamental problem we are facing when it comes to promoting awareness about sexual assault.
Warnings are used as commonplace remarks every day — don’t go anywhere by yourself, have your pepper spray with you, hold your key like a weapon, wear shoes that you can run in, don’t wear a skirt, lipstick is practically an invitation for trouble. And, now, make sure you tuck some extra ammunition into your Kate Spade purse.
Going out to buy paper towels and grab a smoothie should not sound like prepping for a coup d’état.
Gun rights activists are pushing for the legalization of guns on college campuses across the U.S. Their reasoning revolves around arming young women in order to deter sexual assault.
“If these young, hot little girls on campus have a firearm, I wonder how many men will want to assault them. The sexual assaults that are occurring would go down once these sexual predators get a bullet in their head,” Assemblywoman Michele Fiore said.
What if the "young, hot little girls on campus" do not want to shoot anyone in the head? What if they just simply do not want to be harassed? Why are they being militarized for a war they do not participate in? Going out on a weekend requires a laundry list of safety precautions for about half of campus, but I have yet to meet one of my male peers with pepper spray clipped to his keychain.
In a frenzied state of fear and drunkenness, with someone you trusted ignoring the lack of consent and restraining you, you would be terrified and overwhelmed. Trying to find your gun and properly following the steps to fire it would be nearly impossible for the average college-aged girl. After all, most of us have not had years of training as members of the armed forces would have. I would have trouble using a gun sober, in a safe, well-lit room with professional assistance walking me through it. But more than that, I would never really want to. I have no desire to learn how to use a gun, and I doubt I will I ever own one. I personally do not want to hurt or kill anything, so I see no reason to own a weapon capable of that. This is the case for many Millennial females.
However, the reality of shooting and potentially killing the perpetrator needs to be considered as well. About 90 percent of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone the victim knows, often meaning a friend, acquaintance or boyfriend. It is not usually a creepy, old rapist lurking in an alley; it is a drunk classmate who decides that “no” is a suggestion. This is in no way protecting or justifying their actions. They are as guilty as a predator in an episode of “Law & Order.” Many instances of sexual assault also involve alcohol, insinuating impaired judgement.
Unfortunately, many victims choose not to come forward in fear of repercussions. Legal action for underage drinking could hurt their future, and runs alongside the terror of not being believed, being blamed and being ostracized. If this fear already exists for simply telling someone, imagine what would happen when girls were forced to face the consequences if they did actually shoot someone.
Using sexual assault prevention as a vehicle to allow guns on campus is ridiculous. If sexual assault is going to be brought up in the Legislature, let it be alongside a plan to stop it completely. Instead of militarizing women, why not teach peace to everyone?
Legislators could be focusing on ways to standardize the punishments for perpetrators of sexual assault and enforcing them. Too often do people get away sexual assault on and off of college campuses, sometimes only being suspended. People were suspended at my middle school for writing mean notes about each other and sneaking cigarettes into the bathroom during lunch. They reappeared a week later, well rested, and all was forgiven. So, I guess the grown-up version of that is watching Netflix and taking a few zeroes in class when you rape someone. This is what needs to change — it has nothing to do with guns.
Reach the columnist at smmaki@asu.edu or follow @Syd_neym on Twitter.
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Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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