It's a relic of the idea that women are the property of men
I hope (against hope) that you someday start a family and look back on comments like these with the derision they deserve.
I know you aren't arguing that women are the property of men, so I'm going to assume you are justifying the larger point of "being overprotective of daughters compared to sons", so I'll invite you to defend that position.
Can you conceive of a logical reason why a parent might feel more protective of a daughter than a son, or has your brain spent so much time marinating in the internet that you are not even capable of acknowledging the basic differences in the male and female experiences?
Perhaps we've interpreted the question differently, my understanding was the "shotgun dad" type who 'jokingly' threatens to kill his daughter's teenage boyfriends if they ever hurt her. Taking basic precautions like giving my daughter pepper spray or teaching self-defense, would not qualify as overprotection in my opinion, but as basic protective measures. Overprotection would, necessarily, mean taking unnecessary precautions.
That stuff just strikes me as cringeworthy dad humor, and not something to be taken seriously. Obviously it's rooted in some very real fears that a parent has for their child, but I don't think it's particularly harmful.
If you want to talk about disturbing parenting practices, then chastity balls should be #1 on your list.
