A man penetrated a woman's vagina with the barrel of a gun against her will. This crime is

• A. Rape
• B. Assault
• C. Penetration with a foreign object - Felony
• D. Attempted rape

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that when penetration is achieved using a foreign object, it falls under a category distinct from ordinary rape. In this scenario, a gun barrel is used to penetrate the woman against her will. Because the act involves actual penetration by an instrument rather than by a penis, many statutes label it as penetration with a foreign object, and it carries felony status due to the use of a weapon and the coercion involved.

Rape typically refers to penile-vaginal intercourse by force, which isn’t what happened here. An assault charge would involve threats or attempts to harm, not a completed act of penetration. And this is not an attempted rape because the penetration occurred. So the best fit is the felony charge of penetration with a foreign object.