At least as far back as the 16th century, the powers that be fretted that firearms grant those of lesser physical strength and lacking martial training the ability to defend themselves—even against the state's professional enforcers. Women have particularly benefited from weapons that work independent of muscle mass. Despite that equalizing power, gun ownership long remained a largely masculine pursuit for cultural reasons that might be worthy of research. But women have been catching up. These days, the ranks of new gun owners break down almost evenly between the sexes.
