In a press statement on Sunday, Bulan said that so far, about 3,000 women have put in applications for shooting lessons, adding that interest in enrolling in such classes is increasing every day.
Bulan was greeted with mixed reactions when he proposed at a demonstration in Taksim Square at the end of December that women in fear of their lives should be issued guns as a last-resort attempt to cut down on the murders of women in incidents of domestic violence. Despite the widespread condemnation of his suggestion as dangerous and counterproductive, many commentators said it should be viewed as a symbolic cry for help and that such a proposal speaks volumes about the current predicament of women's rights in Turkey.
Bulan reiterated his sentiments on the issue on Sunday. “We are not advocating that women get a gun and go and hunt down their abuser and shoot them down. We are proposing, as a complete last resort, when the state is doing nothing and the police are not offering protection, that if women seriously at risk have a gun, then they may be able to buy themselves time, scare off their attacker and protect themselves and their children. What we are advocating here is use of the legal right to self-defense. We cannot sit back and let these innocent women continue to be slaughtered,” he said.
“As the state continues to fail to effectively protect female victims of violence, our suggestion is been taken up by more and more people. I wish we were not in a position where we are making such a suggestion, but unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures,” he added.
