Above: Lyudmila Mykhailivna Pavlichenko (July 12, 1916 – October 10, 1974),
a Soviet sniper during WWII. She is credited with 309 kills,
and regarded as the most successful female sniper in history.
(Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons.)
Russian Female Snipers in WWII
were feared by
were feared by
combat trained German troops.
(So much for guns being a macho-man only sport!)
In fact, there were approximately 2,000 female snipers in the Red Army, of whom about 500 survived the war. Lyudmila Pavlichenko (pictured above), Nina Lobkovskaya, and Klavdiya Kalugina (who was only 17 at the start of her military service in 1943) were among the thousands of women who put themselves in the line of fire for Mother Russia. They were armed with slightly more accurate but less-rugged sniper rifles (German: Scharfschützengewehr or SSG), than their conscripted brothers: an upgrade from the cheaper assault rifle.
While I have openly said that we, as a culture, really ought to consider just how "universal" that "right" to own a firearm really is (Hey, we do have a licencing process to drive cars, showing that we're not going to act like a damned fool when behind the wheel, correct? Most NRA members that I've talked to understand gun safety and the rules of firearms so well that they could teach a gun safety course themselves, and agree this is reasonable.) ...guns are also a women's right's issue, in that they truly become the great equalizer. I am not a small woman (or a woman who should ever own a firearm) but I understand the fear that my petite friends feel when at risk of being beaten, abused, or raped. Cornered and out-massed by 200 lbs. of angry pot-roast is no place to be.
...but one bullet is one bullet. Nothing says "I'm not getting raped (mugged/ beaten) today!" like a large-caliber round to the center chest. Simple, eloquent, and to-the-point. The vast majority of rape cases will never go to trial, the majority of those that do will never be convicted, and, if you grew up in the United States, you probably know the rest. Dead men can't become repeat offenders. If she is fighting for her life, no further argument is necessary.
...but one bullet is one bullet. Nothing says "I'm not getting raped (mugged/ beaten) today!" like a large-caliber round to the center chest. Simple, eloquent, and to-the-point. The vast majority of rape cases will never go to trial, the majority of those that do will never be convicted, and, if you grew up in the United States, you probably know the rest. Dead men can't become repeat offenders. If she is fighting for her life, no further argument is necessary.
