Who was it who said, "Nature has given women so much power, it is only wise that the law has given them so little"....

Shooting a rifle isn't an inborn trait, unlike males' greater physically strength. I would say women can shoot just as well as men. Some female Russian snipers killed 100+ people

"I don't know if this means anything but most sniper-instructors in the IDF are female" This is actually because men pay more attention to women, especially attractive ones.

Gender has nothing particularly to do with the issue. It's the ability to hit the target.

Forgive me if someone mentioned this, but, in WW2 many of the top Russian snipers were women. Personally I don't think it matters, if they have the skill let them use it.

What really matters in all this is.......if the women can compete at the same level as the men then they can do the job. That means they must fulfill the same physical requirements as the men do (no watered down version) as well being able to perform their duties at the same standards as the men. If they can't do that then have no place in any combat unit.......sniper or otherwise. As for the psychological aspect of having women in the same combat unit as the men, I think that can be overcome with time as the men get used to the idea.

Actually it's been said by drill instructors that male as well as female recruits to the service have to be taught aggressiveness, that in our current culture, most 18 and 19-year olds (boys and girls) have never been in a real fistfight. This was probably not true a generation or two ago.

In terms of the male vs female snipers argument, there are biological factors which support both. Male: Better depth perception, bigger & stronger (allowing better use of the large-caliber weapons that work best for long-range sniping). Female: genetic visual deficiencies (night/color blindness) are less common in women (giving a broader pool of recruits); Finer motor control, more detail-oriented observational skills. Each gender seems to bring something to the table. How about a "husband" and "wife" team? The male would lug around the heavy stuff and pull the trigger and the female would be the spotter.

Having to listen to his wife telling him what he's doing wrong would drive the husband crazy!

"Having to listen to his wife telling him what he's doing wrong would drive the husband crazy!" You are stereotyping. In the construction industry I've wathced husband/wife teams that went either way in that respect. Working with a anal retentive, miromanaging, chatterbox suxs, whatever the gender.