While American Jews have historically been at the forefront of gun control legislation and the banning of firearms, the guy sitting next to you in shul might own a gun and even go to target practice every week. They might not advertise it, but many Orthodox Jews are proud of their weapons and believe those guns help keep their families safe.
“Jews don’t like to talk about their guns because it isn’t politically correct” Richard Feldman the National Rifle Association’s first Jewish lobbyist recently commented. “People know it’s an issue better avoided.”
American Jews have historically supported gun control and some of the country’s most powerful Jews have been at the forefront of recent gun control legislation and banning private firearms. New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Charles Schumer are among the country’s biggest antigun activists and Jewish lawmakers in the Senate and the House were among the first to introduce new gun control legislation following the December 14 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre in Newtown Connecticut that took the lives of 20 students and six educators. So you might be surprised to discover that your frum neighbor owns a gun and even goes to weekly target practice.
For many the idea of private citizens carrying guns conjures up the image of the Old West a cowboy with dusty spurs on his boots and a six-shooter riding low on his hip preparing for a showdown with the outlaws. Or perhaps a ragged band of Colonial militiamen clutching their muskets against the onslaught of British redcoats.
But according to the NRA an estimated 40 percent of US households have guns with about 45 million privately owned firearms. And no not all of those are in the Wild West. Some of those gun owners have a Glock tucked into the holster under their tallis while others keep their rifles locked in the safe behind their seforim shelves.
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