I’m a firm believer in the right to keep and bear arms for everyone. It is important for all Americans, but especially essential for women. This story is one of several illustrating why this is the case.

A woman in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, was forced to use her handgun to defend her life after another female assaulted her in her home. The woman, who was not named in the report, was allegedly attacked by Melanee Sands-Brosh, who is currently facing felony aggravated assault charges.

State law enforcement responded to reports of a shooting at the victim’s home around 4:30 a.m., where they ran into Sands-Brosh, who had been shot. They later located the woman who owned the handgun and transported Sands-Brosh to the hospital.

Here’s how it went down:

The woman (Sands-Brosh) told troopers she had a key to the home, according to court documents.

Troopers interviewed the woman they believed was the shooter, who said she was inside the home and she heard Sands-Brosh banging and breaking windows of the residence, so she retrieved a handgun, troopers said.

The woman said she encountered Sands-Brosh who made threats to kill her while she struck the woman with a blunt object, which was later to be determined by troopers as a floor squeegee with a long handle, according to troopers.

The woman allegedly told police she fired a round from the gun in self-defense and fled from the home banging on doors to get help, troopers said.

Sands-Brosh was interviewed a second time by troopers and allegedly recanted her original account of the incident and admitted to troopers she used a blunt object to break out a kitchen window and that the owner of the home did not tell her a time to come and retrieve her items, according to police.

Sands-Brosh allegedly admitted to swinging the squeegee at the woman two to three, times, police said. Sands-Brosh said she hit the woman before she was shot in the leg, troopers said.

This seems like an open-and-shut case of self-defense, especially if the assailant admits that she hit her with a blunt object. The report does not provide details as to why Sands-Brosh was retrieving belongings from the woman’s home, but if this was a domestic violence situation, it further highlights the need for women to carry firearms.

There have been many situations in which women have been attacked and killed by boyfriends or ex-husbands because they did not possess the means by which to defend themselves. Indeed, in this woman’s situation, if her assailant had been a male, this scenario might have turned out much differently, and the outcome could have been tragic if she did not have a firearm.

It is worth mentioning that this is yet another reason why red flag laws are particularly dangerous to women – especially those who have been victims of domestic violence. These laws can be used by abusers to prevent their victims from owning guns, thereby making them easier to abuse or even murder.

Even further, women who live in states with onerous requirements for gun permits (which should not be required in the first place) are also vulnerable. My friend Kerri Slone pointed out the issue perfectly:

Carry permits disproportionately affect domestic abuse
victims/survivors.
Victims of abuse often can’t afford required fees/training after leaving their abusers.
Limited access to background check application locations(not all counties have online accessibility) in addition to…

— Stilettos&Shotguns (@thereal_SnS) July 3, 2023

I have often pointed out the racism of gun control. But passing legislation designed to infringe on Second Amendment rights is also sexist as it makes it harder for women, who are physically weaker than men, to defend themselves from assailants, most of whom are males. This shows how imperative it is for women to arm themselves.