Some Canadian women learning the value of being armed

I was surprised to see that although obtaining a permit to carry a firearm in Canada is difficult (and for women, apparently almost impossible), some are going through the necessary process to obtain non-resident permits in the U.S.

The Utah permit is the one specifically mentioned in the article. Although not valid in Canada, of course, it is recognized in about 30 states in the U.S. Perhaps more importantly, obtaining these permits provides a means of applying some leverage on Canadian politicians, to push for more progressive gun laws there.

"I have sent the prime minister an e-mail to say that I find it curious that, as a woman, I'd be allowed as a visitor into the United States, I'd be allowed to carry a weapon — a concealed firearm to protect myself and my children — but that I don't have that same right in Canada," she said.

Perhaps I should not have been surprised--an ever growing number of Americans carry firearms to protect themselves and their families from predatory criminals--why would Canadians be any less proactive about self-defense?

I wish the best of luck to the Canadian gun rights movement--no one should have to live in a state of government mandated defenselessness.