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Cupp: Why Is it Okay for Men to Tell Women How to Defend Themselves?

Feb. 20, 2013 12:56pm

S.E. Cupp is a New York Daily News columnist and TheBlaze TV host that has previously written for the Washington Post, Slate, Human Events, American Spectator, […]

S.E. Cupp is a New York Daily News columnist and TheBlaze TV host that has previously written for the Washington Post, Slate, Human Events, American Spectator, FOXNews.com, NASCAR.com, the Detroit Free Press and others. As a political commentator, Cupp appears on TheBlaze TV's 'Real News' and MSNBC's 'The Cycle' daily. S.E. Cupp is the author of Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media’s Attack on Christianity (Simon & Schuster, 2010) and co-author of Why You’re Wrong About The Right (Simon & Schuster, 2008). Read more about S.E.'s work at www.thesecupp.com

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Cupp: Why Is it Okay for Men to Tell Women How to Defend Themselves?

Vice President Joe Biden gestures while speaking during a campaign rally at the Covelli Centre, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, in Youngstown, Ohio. (Photo: AP)

Joe simply cannot help himself. In an interview with PARENTS magazine, the Vice President told women, presumably, that AR-15s are too hard to shoot and that instead, if we’re worried about self-defense, we should “buy a shotgun.” He said that’s the advice he’s given his own wife, Jill.

Let’s put aside the fact that Biden’s pitch to increase, not decrease, gun ownership probably wasn’t appreciated by his boss, the president.

And let’s also put aside the preposterous notion that an AR-15 is too hard for a woman to shoot – the reason, in fact, that gun control advocates want them banned is because they are supposedly far too easy to shoot.

But as much as I love Joe Biden’s public service announcement for gun ownership, and wish more Democrats would take to the airwaves to urge Americans to buy guns, the underlying message was far more dangerous than the superficial comments were silly.

What no one’s asking is, Why is it okay for men to tell women how to defend themselves?

Biden is hardly alone in this. Obviously there are hundreds of men in Congress and thousands in state legislatures who regularly craft laws on women’s self-defense issues, and many of them, I’m sure, do so from an earnest and compassionate place.

But doesn’t the “my body, my choice” mantra on the left cover my ability to save my body from rape and death? Or is it only my body and my choice when I’ve created another person, with another person?

The renewed calls for gun control have really brought out the lunatics on the left, many of them men who seem to think they know how I can best stave off an attack – from another man. Colorado Democratic State Rep. Joe Salazar said on the floor of the House that I should, apparently, buy a rape whistle. Why? Because as a woman, I can’t be trusted to shoot a gun. I wouldn’t encourage any would-be attackers out there to test that theory with me.

“It’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have whistles,” he said. Indeed, compelling points. So then why do we still have rape on college campuses? Why, according to the Department of Justice, will one in five college women be raped during their college years with all the call boxes and safe zones? Why are college aged women four times more likely to be sexually assaulted than the average female population if they are all effectively armed with whistles?

Colorado State Rep. Joe Salazar (Youtube)

He went on to insist that we women shouldn’t own guns for self-defense because “you just don’t know who you’re going to be shooting at.” Yes, that does put us at a disadvantage with men, who always know the criminals they encounter. And we’ve all heard of thousands of instances where a woman mistakenly shoots her best friend instead of the knife-wielding predator straddling her on the ground with his hand over her mouth.

He continued: “And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when may actually not be, that you pop out that gun and you pop a round at somebody.”

How does that work? Men, you tell me – do you “know if you feel like you’re gonna be” robbed or murdered? The further we go down Salazar’s kooky rabbit hole, the more he starts sounding like Todd Akin. I’m pretty sure if you unpacked his meandering treatise on a woman’s inability to properly exert her trigger finger, you’d find a case for “legitimate rape.”

Elsewhere in Colorado, the state House passed a package of gun safety bills this week, one of which includes banning concealed carry on college campuses.

No problem there, because the University of Colorado has some awesome tips for women, posted as an updated advisory on their website. One recommendation? “Kick off your shoes” because, presumably, the stiletto’s we wear to class might be hard to run in.

Another? “Don’t take time to look back; just get away.” If only someone had told college rape victims to “just get away” earlier, think how many women could have been saved from sexual assault.

Ominously, they also warn us that “some actions on your part might lead to more harm” but don’t bother delineating what those are. Women are essentially told to roll the dice and see what happens.

And finally, the University of Colorado wants us to vomit or urinate on our attackers. Alright sir.

As silly and dangerous as these suggestions are, and as asinine as some of these Democratic male legislators sound, the idea that I can’t be trusted to defend myself with a weapon is offensive, paternalistic and even misogynistic. And where is the National Organization for Women or Planned Parenthood or any other liberal women’s group denouncing these boneheaded men and institutions for telling us how to protect our bodies? Silence.

It’s one thing to make an argument for gun control that reflects on efficacy, crime, mental health and safety. But when men make an argument for gun control based on the best ways women can defend themselves – against other men – they’ve overstepped their bounds. So dudes, when you feel comfortable going to the wrong side of town with merely a whistle, then we can talk.

S.E. Cupp appears on ‘Real News’ on TheBlaze TV Monday Through Friday at 6pm EST

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Comments (106)

AWGBlog
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 5:35pm
Cupp’s Question: Why Is it Okay for Men to Tell Women How to Defend Themselves?

My Answer: Because women tell men what to do and how to do it every stinking day of their life! See we men can tell you how to defend yourself, but you’re a women and you will not listen. But we can sleep easy knowing we told you.

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- chips1
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 5:46pm
  Your allowed to say anything you want, but first, take the trash out if you want supper.
  
  Report this comment
- walex
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 6:16pm
  Want a better woman in your life, be a better man. Do all of the things you are supposed to and you won’t get nagged. When you or any man have to walk down the street anywhere, anyplace and anytime and have to always worry in the back of your mind about being overpowered, raped and murdered, then you can give self defense advice. Idiotic beyond belief that the liberals arguing that women can fight in combat but can’t fire make a judgement about who to point a gun at when being threatened. It’s patronizing, rude, ignorant and plain asinine. So you want your daughter or wife to depend on a rape whistle or call box? “OH, excuse me raper, while I use the ball box to get help….” Yeah sure.
  
  Report this comment
- lillymckim
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 7:52pm
  No thank you! Nothing she has to say interests me… nothing. I wont use her name and give her the publicity she desperately needs.
  By trashing Rush at least someone now knows who she is … trashy, low rent move!
  
  Report this comment
- RogueRequest
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 10:26pm
  That’s because Rush’s name deserves to be trashed. Stupid addict that he is.
  
  Report this comment
- rhamil54
  Posted on February 21, 2013 at 11:21am
  ANYONE, man or woman, should be free to comment on how women could defend themselves. Anything else is a version of the PC Madness destroying our country.
  
  Report this comment
- lillymckim
  Posted on February 21, 2013 at 3:35pm
  ROGUEREQUEST.
  Why is that? Truth hurts?
  
  Report this comment
- Your_Senile
  Posted on February 21, 2013 at 7:31pm
  This is what you must know
  
  Jill Biden has 24/7 Secret Service protection with Automatic Weapons. She does not own a Shot Gun. Joe as always if full of Malarkey.
  
  it is so
  
  Your Senile
  
  Report this comment
- bonesiii
  Posted on February 21, 2013 at 8:51pm
  Honestly, I think Joe Biden decides how to phrase his statements (in the rare moments when his brain is in gear) based on what makes him sound “like one of the guys”. A shotgun makes almost no sense in that situation, but to say the word “shotgun” in Joe Biden’s voice with his “cool dude” intonation “sounds masculine.” More so than “handgun”. And of course, being a modern liberal he HAS to decry “assault rifles”, so no choice there.
  
  That’s pretty much his sole function on the Obama/Biden ticket anyways. He’s the old white dude with white hair, who’s “one of the guys” to satisfy the quasiracist, false-macho immature white libs. Obama’s the one to appeal to all the rest of the libs including women. It’s all emotion.
  
  Still, a valid point that it should be highly offensive for men to be legislating away womens’ right to protect themselves against rape by other men. Right on. It shows that liberalism is really implicitly a cult of bigotry veiled in deception (including one veil, occasionally, of “tolerance”). They don’t ever (usually) explicitly say this, but they ACT like it and expect all others to at least subconsciously “get it” and fall into line. Meanwhile the results are: women are easier targets for rape and murder. It isn’t really disputable — that’s the result.
  
  Now I’m sure in most cases this is far from the conscious, to be fair. But I wish people would judge policies by results, not emotionalism.
  
  Report this comment
- GFWSR
  Posted on February 23, 2013 at 10:32am
  My, you sound pretty jaded. The problem I see thus far concerning the “advise” being given, is that it is WRONG! My advise is for women to buy a good gun, and learn how to use it. That’s pretty simple.
  
  Report this comment
bcrogan
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 5:13pm
Biden is a shocking embarrassment to the vice presidency. I mean, you literally own see someone like him in National Lampoon movies. He is something straight out of MADD magazine. I don’t even think you can write a better character than this guy. I mean, its mind boggling how bizarre, delusional and out of touch with reality this guy really is. Could you imagine, if something happened to Obama, as bad as he is, this guy would take his place. These bizarre liberals are so brain dead that they think a women should fend off a rapist by peeing or puking to disgust the rapist, rather than put a bullet in his pig brain. Or they feel that women are to emotional to responsibly defend themselves with a pistol and that they will be spraying bullets all over the place. You know, there are some serious F&^%ed up wackos on the right, but im shocked at these so called educated career politicians utter stupidity. Why is it that liberals just hate a human beings right for self determination. They do nothing but devalue the intelligence of humans, and their potential at achieving personal success, freedom, liberty, or safely defending themselves from evil. Yet, they will give them the ability to fight to the death for brain dead idiots to make the responsible decision to abort a 3rd trimester fetus. This is America and our foundation has always been the endless possibilities and potential that lies in the human spirit and individual. Now were becoming this weak feeble nanny state.

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- RIDEMODELS
  Posted on February 22, 2013 at 2:03am
  Why is it ok for a woman to carry a gun on the front lines of our military, yet she cannot be trusted with a gun to protect herself from the society liberals create?
  
  Children are not a paycheck they are an investment….Something Adam Lanzas mom failed to understand.
  
  Report this comment
RationalMan
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 4:22pm
Cupp: Why Is it Okay for Men to Tell Women How to Defend Themselves?
____________________________________________________________

Because, Feinstein wants to “Ban all Guns”!

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Nuclear Bumpkin
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 3:59pm
Come now, Cupp. You could have easily called them out on their inconsistencies without pulling the gender card.

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- TEOTWASWKI
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 4:42pm
  You come on bumpkin, SE is addressing this lunatics advice to WOMEN on how to prevent from being raped without a gun. SE does go to far in admonishing all advice from men as women are more likely to find a man familiar with guns than a woman to help them.
  
  Report this comment
OLDBIKEFIXER
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 3:43pm
Nice to hear from S.E. Cupp again… a woman who is as intellegent as she is beautiful. And yes – most liberal men are woman heaters – and racists – and homophobes. I know lots of liberal men as I used to be one myself. I finally saw the light a few years ago. It was very much like coming out of a coma. Don’t be such a stranger to us S.E.!

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Flyingfish
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 3:19pm
Laddies…two to the chest and one to the head…repeat as necessary until your attack calls off his attack or stops moving… which ever happens first.

If you are using a shotgun, like Uncle Joey suggests, aim low (pelvis) and let the shots walk up center mass. Same deal though, fire at least 3 shots.

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- MN NICE
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 4:37pm
  But Plugs Biden instructed women to get a double barrel… If women follow that advice and limit themselves to two rounds, I suggest they forego with any kind of recoil pad so they can use the stock to bash the sh it out of someones skull…
  
  Report this comment
- Bluebonnet
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 5:18pm
  OMG! One idiot in Colorado telling gals how to get away from someone out to rape them and another idiot lunatic telling women to step out on porch and fire a 12ga. shotgun to “scare” them off.
  
  First, many of the Colorado women need to teach Mr. Salazar a little lesson on how to avoid rape, and 2nd, the lunatic back East wants his wife in danger……………most women can’t shoot a 12 ga. shotgun without getting kicked off her kester, and shouldn’t be outside if she thinks there’s someone out there who could easily take advantage of her. What makes so many MEN so DUMB?
  
  Report this comment
- chips1
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 5:52pm
  BLUE:
  Answer: Viagra!!!!!
  
  Report this comment
- wingnut1955
  Posted on February 21, 2013 at 4:26am
  If you are going to use a shotgun. By all means use 00 buck shot in that shotgun.
  
  Report this comment
- RIDEMODELS
  Posted on February 22, 2013 at 2:06am
  Now if thats not the Government telling a woman what to do, I don’t know what is??
  
  Unless a woman would like to fight for this country on the battle field, with a gun in her hand….What..!!!
  
  Report this comment
blackfeather
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 3:02pm
easy fix…tell yourselves how to do it.

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- RIDEMODELS
  Posted on February 22, 2013 at 2:13am
  And to all the Ladies……..Uncle Joe will be giving private shooting lessons in the back of the club, up in the VIP……..Yeah baby!!! Yeah!!
  
  Report this comment
Fat Hubie
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:54pm
Not just men, LIBERAL LOONS. Go ahead listen to Biden . He has a proven record of great wisdom.
Ar’s were released to the public in 1959, and as a full auto in Viet Nam several years later. It would take a pretty strong woman to fire a shot gun, but go ahead and shoot all your ammo at the sky. At least the rapist will not be hurt.

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- dnewton
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 3:10pm
  If women can’t handle an AR then they don’t need to be in the military. Are we going to give the women soldiers shotguns and the men rifles?
  
  Report this comment
- SUNTZU
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 3:29pm
  I love these small minded progressive-libs
  They all have a very small knife,and every day they
  inflect small wounds to there own cause
  A women can go into combat,but she can not have a
  fire arm. Who knows who she would shoot.
  Do what Joe Biden would do when confronted
  by a rapist
  Drop to your knees,pee your panties,tell him you have
  a sore mouth,your hemorrhoids are bleeding and you
  have a large crop of crabs.
  And if that dont work point your gun finger at him
  and beggggg
  I almost busted my gull-glabber when I saw that
  that one
  I guess Better Bed then Dead
  
  Report this comment
BlackCrow
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:35pm
I told my wife “two rounds to the chest, if they don’t go down one to the head”.

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- gyro
  Posted on February 21, 2013 at 3:47am
  This
  
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motorcycleboy
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:34pm
Is the progressive SE Cupp posing as a conservative again?

Hey SE, MSNBC called, they want you to come pick up your check.

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Inform
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:26pm
Liberals always talk about the war on women, but why do most women not seem to notice that it is THEY who are always attacking them?

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coalfired
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:20pm
JCLDWL, you said that men of the left are women haters……..you might be on to something there. With the way they champion and protect homosexuality, its very easy to see witch way their stick floats. In fact that makes more sense than most other arguments I’ve heard.

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MK2
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:10pm
All you lib women better remember who is pushing this crap on you it’s not the conservatives,I thank God my wife had a gun about 6 years ago she also had pepper spray but it was the gun in her hand that stopped what was about to go down.He is lucky he chose to retreat or he would be 6 ft under,my wife and kids have fired 1000s of rounds they hit what they shoot at.How about you libs keep your nose out of our $h!t we wont step in yours

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molleepitcher
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:02pm
Wow… So all I need is a whistle and I’ll be safe? But how will I know when to blow my whistle? I may not know who I’ll be blowing my whistle at, should I blow my whistle before I get raped? Because I won’t know if I feel like I’m going to get raped, I may not know if I feel like someone is following me, because I may not be in trouble… So I guess I should wait till I am being raped before I blow my whistle? This is all so complicated, but I’m glad there are some smart men out there to tell me how and when to defend myself. Thank you Rep. Joe Salazar… I’m going to put my handgun away and go get me a whistle… I feel so much safer already!

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Truthbeliever2
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:00pm
lol at the Blaze. Stupid story after stupid story!

Still no story here concerning the DHS purchase of 2 million dollars worth of targets featuring pregnant woman and little kids with guns on the targets.

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- civilwarcometh
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:25pm
  You must be pinky from pinky and the brain… http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/19/company-with-ties-to-the-federal-govt-designs-unsettling-targets-for-law-enforcement-community/
  
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- Edward53
  Posted on February 23, 2013 at 9:53pm
  Is that another Ronnie Paul/Alex Jones conspiracy theory, Paulbot?
  
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neverending
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:54pm
Well, well so nice to see S.E. article showing up on the Blaze but wonder why it isn’t the same news most everyone else is covering. hey s.e. you are the one not to be trusted. These headlines will not change the subject from your idiotic bs about Rush and then of course you needed to double down. On to something newsworthy.

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omgfolks
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:44pm
Oh sure now lets turn this into a Feminist Issue.

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- Beachmastermax
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:55pm
  Are feminist for their right to carry a weapon or against it?
  
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- chips1
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 5:43pm
  Define “feminist”!!!! It seems to be a ubject for debate. Do you include Barry?
  
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Mountain_man
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:42pm
Sooo it’s okay for a woman to fight on the front lines in a war but they can’t be trusted with a gun for self-defense back in the states?

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- Truthbeliever2
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:04pm
  Perfect example of the Blaze audience right here folks.
  
  Duhhhhh women can protect themselves too duhhhh.
  
  Total non-story.
  
  Report this comment
- DLV
  Posted on February 21, 2013 at 10:54pm
  Truth- is there anything you say that isn’t completely mean and nasty? Please just go away. I’ve met plenty of atheists nicer than you. Not really helping the faith
  
  Report this comment
truthnstuff
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:39pm
Who cares what Cupp says. She is a moderate liberal, at best. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while. Between her and Cain it is getting difficult to keep watching the Real News.

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- neverending
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:10pm
  I think you can drop the moderate.
  
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- Edward53
  Posted on February 23, 2013 at 9:50pm
  F.O., Paulbot.
  
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jbcheesehead
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:38pm
Outstanding point S.E.! We can now defend the world on the front lines but are too stupid and weak to figure out how to do this for ourselves? Write it off to the ego problem.

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spfoam1
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:34pm
Has Salazar been reading the koran or what? He seems to suggest women don’t have the capacity or even the right to defend themselves.

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- kent grotz
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:06pm
  I reckon he is lucky he is lucky to never have met my mom or sisters in a tussle. LOL
  
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Jrich
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:29pm
I love s.e cupp that is all.

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The patriot.
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:26pm
The Democrats blame Republicans for having a war on women. Yet there telling women they can’t defend themselves with the firearm properly. Unless you’re a member of Congress where you can carry a concealed firearm along with your bodyguards

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- Red Meat
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:38pm
  Biden’s almost as crazy and dangerous as Rush Limbaugh….right Cupp?
  
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Beachmastermax
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:24pm
How many more women need to be murdered while under a protective order from the Police, before they wise up and understand that women without the right to own a gun is really nothing more than bait? Or game? Or an already victim?

God created man and woman. Sam Colt made them equal.

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- SubmarineMan
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 9:18pm
  Beachmastermax, don’t forget to tell everone that the police are under no obligation to do anything to uphold an order of restraint or protection. The police are also under no obligation to protect a person either. So, having said that who is responsible for an individuals protection?
  
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jcldwl
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:23pm
To answer the headline, because the men of the left are women haters and only see them as something to abuse or use to further their agenda.

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- coalfired
  Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:24pm
  I think you may be on to something here. With the way the men of the left protect and champion homosexuality, it’s very easy to understand their hatred of women.
  
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