I’m pretty active in 5 or 6 women’s gun owner groups on Facebook. I love them. Always lots of support to be found, along with some good tips and the opportunity to share what you know with others.

I’ve also recently come across a couple local (statewide) gun groups, which I thought would be a great resource considering MA is ridiculous with a lot of their laws. Always nice to have a place to pose questions and they can be answered by people who are actually familiar with local laws.

So I did what I always do, took an EDC picture for my Instagram the other morning, shared in a few of the women’s groups, and also in one of the Massachusetts groups.

What I didn’t think about was the fact that the Mass groups are predominantly male.

Now listen, I’m not making any sort of generalizations here, just sharing my experience.

In women’s groups, you’ll get some likes and heart reactions, maybe the occasional “Where did you get that?” wardrobe question.

But a girl posting in a guy’s group? Oh my LAWD.

It was actually pretty entertaining. I have thick skin and a sense of humor. So I wasn’t bothered. But the sheer level of “sexual harassment” if you will, was crazy! From “HMU” all the way to “Are you looking for someone to play step daddy?”

There were a couple guys who responded with pics of their guns. But 95% of the response was either commenting on my body, or straight up sexual innuendo. The friend requests started pouring in as well as the DM’s.

Also the mansplaining… “It’s too bad you carry an XD” (Smart guy, it’s an XDS) “You should wear your holster over your belt or it’s going to pull off” (I was wearing a clip that doesn’t require a belt… Is this mostly a women’s thing?). If you’re not used to seeing a woman with a gun, then I’m proud to represent, but at least give me some credit in that I know what I’m doing.

My post actually ended up getting deleted. I’m not sure why. Maybe I was too distracting? Or maybe the admins saw the way the comments were going. Either way, apparently my EDC picture was unwelcome because of the general atmosphere. And that is something I have never experienced nor thought I would experience in a gun group. I just wish I had taken more spicy screenshots before it was removed!

So that was an interesting, unintentional social experiment. What’s the takeaway? I don’t know. If you’re a guy reading this, I have a feeling you came to my page through Instagram where generally we all coexist and respect each other as equals, which I now appreciate more than ever. But I think all should be aware of the way women are treated in the 2A community. This could also serve as a good opportunity for us ladies to show guys that we can be confident and knowledgable, while we guard ourselves and our families.

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