I am pro-second amendment.  However, I believe the conversation about rape and the conversation about gun control are separate.

Rape is a crime about power and control.  It is heavily a crime committed by men against women, although there are certainly exceptions to that generality.  Why not try and get to the root cause to try and stop the crime?  We should teach in sex education programs the meaning of consent.  We should arm all young men and women with the knowledge of what to do if they are bystanders (as in the Steubenville case).  We should teach young people to respect victims who speak up and break the silence.  Should women be allowed to protect themselves by carrying a legal, registered weapon?  Absolutely, without a doubt, YES.  But please don’t tell me that carrying a gun, dressing a certain way or abstaining from drinking  prevents rape.  The night I was raped, I was sober and was wearing jeans and button up cardigan.  I said no, and he didn’t listen.  Even if I had had a gun in my purse, I wouldn’t have been able to get to it, much less be in the right frame of mind to use it.  Are there different scenarios out there?  OF COURSE, but when we start generalizing about what “women need to do to protect themselves”, we are putting the responsibility on them to prevent this crime.