a gun is not a weapon, it's a tool, like butcher's knife, or a harpoon, or ah... an alligator.

If I was a woman living in or near detroit i would definitely want to own a gun. Frankly if i was a 6 foot 2, 200 pound man living in or near detroit i would definitely want to own a gun. It's important to realize with all the anti gun feelings going on, that widespread adoption of firearms is the best thing a feminist could hope for. It evens the playing field. A man is not stronger or faster than a woman with a gun. There is plenty of interesting historical research of the correlation between the rise of the gun and the rise of democracy. Specifically that the ease of using the gun empowered peasants to stand up for themselves in a way that was far more difficult when fighting was done hand to hand. Peasants had neither the weapons nor the training to fight professional knights, and so had little option to stand up for themselves. While it might also have been difficult for them to get their hands on guns, once they did they could not be easily stopped. With no guns the weak are at the mercy of the strong, be it women to men, or weak men/elderly/disabled, etc. But once armed even someone who is wheel chair bound can defend himself against a mugger. Also plenty of studies showing that areas with looser gun laws, and a higher percentage of the population with a gun have lower crime rates. Even criminals would rather not deal with people who have guns.