Following Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas — in which 59 people were killed and over 500 injured by one gunman — a quote comparing access to guns and access to abortion has been making the rounds online.
It reads:
I want any young men who buy a gun to be treated like young women who seek an abortion. Think about it: a mandatory 48-hours waiting period, written permission from a parent or a judge, a note from a doctor proving that he understands what he is about to do, time spent watching a video on individual and mass murders, traveling hundreds of miles at his own expense to the nearest gun shop, and walking through protestors holding photos of loved ones killed by guns, protestor who call him a murderer.
After all, it makes more sense to do this for young men seeking guns than for young women seeking an abortion. No young woman needing reproductive freedom has ever murdered a roomful of strangers.
It’s since gone viral, often attributed to feminist activist Gloria Steinem:
It’s not surprising to see why it’s resonated with so many: it’s a stark and effective argument that cuts to the heart of the matter. It is not, however, something that Gloria Steinem said.
Steinem did post the quote to her Facebook in a list of “Top Ten Things I Want For Christmas” back in 2015, adding “This riff is not mine, it’s on the Internet — I thank whoever gave us all this present.”
The original author of the quote is still unknown, but other, longer versions also exist:
