I don't think that I'm sold on the idea of guns.

But still - it was an interesting piece anyway.

No women seem to have contributed to this thread as the author’s statement that women have a right to feel as safe as men in remote places has not made the slightest impression on the any of the contributors.

No person who likes to spontaneously walk along a long beach or an interesting-looking bush track has contributed to this thread as the fact that men outnumber women 50 to 1 in this enjoyable activity has failed to make the slightest impression.

Readers somehow saw:

• woman joggers pounding the pavements.
• women jogging in parks leaving dead men lying everywhere in the morning,
• an open slather on gun ownership and
• shooting any man who looks suspicious.

On that last point: A woman is walking along a fire trail and she has seen no one for 2 hours. She sees a large man coming in the opposite direction. She hopes he will simply say hello and keep walking at his normal pace. He does not and moves over to her. She exclaims – “Please don’t come closer as I will shoot.” He stops and keeps moving past her. With her heart in her mouth she hurriedly walks to the end of the fire trail and safety.

Does that sound like a “shooting any man who looks suspicious” scenario?

No contributor has noticed that the $500 million spent on the buyback and which did not prevent one murder could have prevented many of the 14,000 preventable deaths if instead passed onto the public health system.

Of course, one reads what one wants to see.

Healthwatcher,
I wouldn’t advise anyone to walk along a bush track by themselves, man or woman.

And I certainly wouldn’t advise anyone to jog along a bush track, as they could easily be bitten by a snake, or trip over and hurt themselves.

But I can imagine the scenario.

Feminist Judge:- Why did you shoot him.
Her: - He was male and looked suspicious.
Feminist Judge: - OK, you can go. Next.

Feminist Judge: - Why did you shoot her.
Him: - She was female and looked suspicious.
Feminist Judge: - OK, 20 years jail. Next.

Health Watcher, I'm a woman and I have spent 1000's of hours out on those bushtracks by myself in the last 20 years and heaven forbid, on the last major walk even ended up sharing a hut with some strange blokes who unexpectably (and being a bit naughtily), turned up after dark in a Mountain hut when I had the hut booking.

Now I could have taken my gun and threatened the lads and told them to go away, after all I was miles from help and out of radio contact and these blokes could have planned dastardy deeds - though I wouldn't have thought men with dastardy deeds on thier minds would be hanging around in the bush in hope. What in fact happened was the sane thing where I somewhat resignedly (it was nice to have the space to myself) shoved my stuff over, met a couple of nice blokes and learnt a bit about rock climbing and they didn't snore.

Out on the tracks when I meet men, (freqently) they are always pleasant though sometimes a bit patronising and cluck about me being there but always mean well. One day I may meet a bad egg but the 'may' is so infinitely small that I don't plan on giving it up. Nor do I plan on threatening some poor bloke who has been entranced by a bug he has found on the track and approaches me to show it to me. Plus if I did meet a bad egg and I had a gun, it's absolutely guarenteed by the time I realised I was in trouble, he would have me and the gun and things would be worse.

So thanks, but I certainly don't think my being armed would improve my sense of safety out there, though after a incident with a brown snake I carry an eperg.

JL Deland

It’s a good thing that you have added a properly considered opinion into a series of knee-jerk responses.

The deeper one gets into the bush, the more one is likely to meet like-minded people enjoying the same pursuit. Your experience in the hut could hardly been any different. But, on tracks in the national parks bordering Sydney, it can be different. Then the man you meet on such a track may be only one hour removed from drinking the last can is his 6-pack.

There was a case I will never forget. A woman decided to jog alone at night along a long beach. It probably was a balmy night with the water gently lapping. Setting off on a jog may have been too irresistible to worry about any danger. She had been jogging for about half an hour or so and had not noticed the headlights of a 4-wheel drive coming up behind her. She could have avoided her rape and murder if she had had a gun.

Just for your interest: The police could not pin her death on the prime suspect. He was invited to state his case on the Jana Wendt show. He believed that he could now remove all suspicion by exposing himself to a public analysis. Fortunately he took the bait and the far more intelligent Jana tripped him up.

I can only add to the majority of posters here.

It would be more unsafe if women or men were to all carry a handgun while jogging or to live in a society where gun ownership was the norm such as in the States. Time and time again statistics show that the rates of crime are high where gun ownership is high. From experience I can only desribe the gun lobby and gun culture in America as similar to religious mania.

As a woman, the reality is that it is unsafe to walk alone in a secluded area and to abstain. It might be unfair but sometimes life is unfair and you take your enjoyment where you find it or organise your activities to reduce the risk.