This is a concern that has been felt at least briefly by any woman who has ever had the experience of having a stronger man take something out of her hands, no matter how hard she tried to hold on to it.
It becomes internalized, that understanding of the limits of your own strength when going up against someone much more physically powerful. It is a concern that has stopped many women from getting a gun for defense. Some men still use it as a “reason” for a woman not to get a handgun.
The dreaded follow up to the gun being taken away, of course, is that it might then be used against the original owner.
Is this a valid concern? No. How often does this happen? Essentially never. I’ve been looking for cases of a gun taken away from a woman with some protective handgun training in a real defensive situation, and haven’t found one in years of looking.
One of the closest calls was Susan Buxton, a Texas grandmother who had an intruder who hid in a closet. He came out compliantly when she, gun in hand, found hiding place, but he did not want to wait around for the police to arrive. His plan was probably to grab her gun and run. Susan’s plan was to shoot him if he lunged for her gun. Susan’s plan prevailed.
For Susan’s entire wonderful (and short) story, see He Grabbed For Her Gun.
If someone does try to grab you gun, you can’t be sure they have no intention of using it. An attempted gun grab is justification for pulling the trigger. You can pull the trigger faster than he can get to you and get your gun away. If you pull the trigger, he will not get your gun away from you. The chances of being in that situation are so remote that it should not prevent anyone from getting a defensive gun and, of course, the necessary training that should go with it.
