Woman brutally murdered shows why pistol license laws are a failure - Granite Grok

Woman brutally murdered shows why pistol license laws are a failure

carolbrowneOn Wednesday a 39 year old woman in Berlin Township, New Jersey was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Carol Bowne had gotten a restraining order, installed a security system, installed video cameras and on April 21 applied for a pistol permit.

According to New Jersey gun laws, not only do you have to get permission to simply purchase a firearm but a person is required to a get a pistol permit in order to possess a handgun. Bowne “asked permission” from her local police chief on April 21. The Courier-Post reported that she had inquired just this past Monday on the status of her permit. She was stabbed to death on Wednesday.

Here you have a woman who knew her ex-boyfriend was violent and did everything she could to protect herself and that one last line of defense, owning a firearm, was taken from her because of the gun laws. This is the exact type of scenario that women face across the country in this same situation if they dare protect themselves. Whether it’s 14 days like in New Hampshire or 30 days in New Jersey (which the police chief clearly went past), when an abused or stalked woman needs to protect herself, she doesn’t have days to wait to be allowed permission to practice her fundamental right to self defense.

The restraining order didn’t protect her. The police didn’t protect her. Her security systems couldn’t protect her. The woman’s only form of protection was herself and she was denied that right because of the pistol permit laws. Carol Bowne was denied the ability to protect herself thanks to legislators who believe they know what`s best for their constituents. It is legislators and gun control extremists who took her ability to protect herself out of her own hands and put it into the hands of her police chief to decide whether or not she should have permission to defend herself.

Pistol license laws across the country, including New Hampshire, perform in the same manner. They deny women like Bowne the right to protect themselves while a police chief or other bureaucrat decides if they are “suitable”. This is one of the reasons it is so important that Senate Bill 116 (SB 116) in New Hampshire become law.

Women like Carol Browne don’t have days to wait for a police chief to decide their fate. They need to have the ability to protect themselves when it matters. This is one of the reasons women have been on the forefront in New Hampshire fighting for SB 116 to pass. This exact scenario is one that was brought up in hearings.

According to research by John R. Lott Jr and David B. Mustard:

A woman defending herself with a handgun is 2.5 times less likely to be injured than one who submits, and four times safer than one who resists by another means.

Carol Bowne didn’t get the chance to prove that because she hadn’t been granted permission from her police chief yet.

Across the country, every state that has pistol license or permit laws must take a serious look at these laws and change them so there aren’t more senseless and brutal murders like that of Carol Bowne. Criminals don’t apply for pistol licenses, those who don’t want to be victims do. The process must be changed or repealed so there are no more horrific stories like that of Carol Bowne.

As previously written after sitting through New Hampshire House hearings on bills to change the pistol license law:

The claims that domestic abusers will suddenly be able to conceal carry are bogus as are the claims that women will be at a higher risk with Constitutional Carry. If anything, women will be safer given they will no longer have to wait 14 days to protect themselves or their families. The statistics prove the opposite of the emotional claims made by opponents of the bills. If gun control extremists are going to use women as pawns in their debate, they ought to remember that not all women will allow themselves to be victims, especially of their legislature where many refuse to use facts. Once again, it appears the minority fringe want women to be victims rather than survivors.

Carol Bowne was not only a victim of a brutal murder but she was a victim of her legislature. Governor Hassan has the opportunity to prevent this horrific scenario in New Hampshire. She has to decide whether to stand with out-of-state billionaire Michael Bloomberg or the majority of Granite Staters who want the pistol license law changed. No woman should have to suffer through what Carol Bowne did. No woman in New Hampshire who is legally able to possess a firearm should have to wait for her police chief to decide whether or not she’s “suitable” to protect herself.

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