A 32 –Calibre revolver for Indian Women: Is it the Answer to Violence Against them?

On 16 December 2012, a 23 year old Indian woman and her male friend were travelling on a bus when three men robbed them of their belongings before sexually assaulting the women.  The woman later died in hospital as a result of the injuries she had sustained from this attack.  This incident led to strong criticisms of the Indian government for failing to protect Indian women against male violence. 

The Indian government has tried to address this concern by making some changes to laws relating to violence against women.  An Indian state-run gun company however felt that these changes in the law did not provide adequate protection for Indian women against violence.  It is now manufacturing a 32- calibre revolver for Indian women.  The gun company claims that vulnerable women can use this gun to protect themselves against male assailants.

It is possible that allowing Indian women to carry a 32 – calibre revolver can deter potential assailants from attacking them. Criminals tend to go for soft rather than for hard targets.  Arming Indian women could make them less of a soft target for victimisation.  However this raises some serious questions.

When can an Indian woman justify shooting a male attacker with the 32- calibre revolver?  Is it when she feels threatened by the potential attacker or when she has already been attacked?  Some people might argue that it is when the woman feels threatened by the potential male attacker that she has to shoot him.   This raises another question about what constitutes male threatening behaviour?  Perception of male threat can differ markedly from one woman to another.  Mrs A for example might consider some rude words threatening whereas Mrs B might consider such words benign.

Other people might argue that a woman can justify using a 32 – calibre revolver against a male attacker only after he has attacked her.   This sounds okay but has two major problems.  If she is to wait until she is attacked before using the gun, the woman might not be able to use the revolver.  The assault on her might be so serious that she cannot have the strength to fire the weapon.   The male attacker can also collect the weapon from her and use it against her.  These scenarios demonstrate that they can hardly be any right time for an Indian woman with a revolver to fire on her male attacker.   

But what will the Indian police be doing if Indian women are taking up arms to protect themselves?  Police around the world are required to perform certain responsibilities.  They are to prevent crime and protect the community.  If crimes occur the police are required to investigate, arrest, interrogate and detain suspects.  The Indian police are no exceptions.  They should enforce law and order, and help protect Indian women against violence.

The Indian police and government should not allow Indian women to carry a 32-calibre revolver in self defence against potential male attackers.  This can never be a solution to the problem of violent crimes against women.  It can inflame the situation and undermine both the roles of the Indian police and authority.  A plausible solution to the violent crimes against Indian women should involve strengthening the Indian laws regarding violence.  As well as strengthening these laws, the Indian police should perform their duties diligently and any officer found wanting should be punished accordingly.