I believe that the Jewish tradition has
a positive view of weapons and their use in self-defense. That far from being
monolithically against gun ownership Judaism embraces them as useful tools to be
used with care and responsibility. In short, I am pro-gun.
Many Jewish organizations and rabbis
have become increasingly vocal in favor of gun control, and have used Jewish
sources to support their conviction that our tradition finds gun ownership shameful.
The message they send is that guns
cause and exacerbate violence. They call it “gun violence” rather than calling
it criminal violence, placing the burden of responsibility on the object rather
than the person. This contradicts one of Judaism’s central beliefs -- that we
bear full responsibility for our behavior. Were that not so, according to
Maimonides and others, the entire Torah and all of the mitzvoth would be
pointless, as they assume that we choose our actions, and are held accountable
for them.
Frequently you will hear these Jews say
that the responsibility for defending against crime falls to the police. This
is, I believe, a misunderstanding of the scope of police work, and contrary to
at least one stream within Jewish thought. Police are a defensive presence with
no offensive mission. Police have AR-15s to protect themselves and others, and
most rabbis do not have a problem with that. Why then, would they deny civilians
the same protection? They believe, it seems, that the object (in this case a
rifle) has a moral quality that transcends the user. It is an evil thing, used
only to kill. If that were so, why allow police to have them?
The typical response to this is that
police are well trained. However, only some police receive ongoing firearms
training, and the typical officer spends little time at the range. In contrast
many gun owners go to the range monthly, take classes, and train to carry their
gun effectively. Contrary to the claim that guns are unregulated, in most
states to legally carry a firearm requires a background check, fingerprinting,
and regular relicensing.
Shaliach Adam K’moto. A
person’s agent is an extension of himself or herself.
While this concept is developed by the
rabbis in order to explain how a person can authorize another to do what he may
be unwilling or unable to do, it does not justify contracting others to do what
you think is unethical. If you think it is wrong or shameful for a person to
carry a gun, then by Jewish law it is wrong to hire someone to do it for you.
My friends and relatives who are police
officers all encourage private gun ownership. They acknowledge that police do
not, and cannot prevent crime, and that individuals bear the responsibility to
protect ourselves. Our lives are immeasurably valuable, and to live undefended
is a devaluation of our own life.
“Do not stand idly by the blood of your
neighbor.” Leviticus 19:16
This is probably the most often cited source
used to advocate for gun control. But this verse can also be read to support
the opposite view as well. Do not stand idly by can also mean that IN THE
MOMENT, you must stand up to the pursuer and do everything possible to stop them.
How do anti-gun rabbis propose to face criminal violence, or do they believe
that legislation will deter the criminal? If confronted by violence how will
they stop it? How will they protect the innocent in the moment? How will they
not stand idly by?
“Ha’bah L’horgechah Kahm L’horgo – One who come to kill you, anticipate and kill him first” Bavli Sanhedrin 72a
I never hear this from my colleagues,
and it is astonishing. It is a simple and profound teaching that obligates us
to be prepared to defend our life with pro-active force if necessary. When
someone comes to do you harm what should you do according to Jewish law? Call
the cops? Hide in the closet? Lock the door? Use mace? Or GET UP and kill them
first? Our blood is as red as the perpetrator’s, our life is no less valuable,
and we have an obligation to preserve our life against attack.
“Be wary of the government, for they befriend
you when it suits them, but they do not stand by you in your time of need.”
Avot 2:3
History teaches that far more dangerous
than any criminal, is an all-powerful government. In the twentieth century
alone tens of millions of people were killed not by individual acts of
violence, but by governments acting against their own citizens. In each of
these holocausts the government relied on a disarmed populace to first
subjugate, and then slaughter their people. Could this happen in the United
States? I believe it would be naïve to deny the possibility, and an armed
civilian population is a mitigating factor keeping our government in check.
Unable to deny history, anti-gun rabbis declare that semi-automatic rifles could
not possibly stop a government armed with tanks and combat drones. (Apparently
semi-automatic rifles are incredibly dangerous, but also incredibly futile at
the same time.) Though each individual is insignificant against tanks and
drones, as a collective, an armed and independent citizenry is a necessary
safeguard against government overreach.
Inside The Movie Theater
When gun owners argue that the presence
of a firearm during a mass shooting might save lives by stopping the predator,
anti-gun people, dismissing the positive value of the weapon, say that its
presence would lead to more harm. How the situation could be worse than a
madman acting without resistance is beyond me. Is it really better to be
disarmed and helpless, than to respond and possibly end the conflict? Can anyone
honestly say that if they were in the theater or the office, or the classroom, and I could put
a gun in their hand that they would refuse it?
Statistics
Anti-gun Jews often quote statistics. I
do not know one firearms owner who does not share their sadness at these
unnecessary losses. But in selectively choosing numbers, they neglect the more
complex picture of firearms statistics – that more guns does not necessarily mean
more crime. They claim that saving even one life makes the restrictive
legislation they support worth it. Yet they ignore the evidence that many lives
are saved by firearms, and that defensive gun uses far outnumber firearms
homicides.
I am not saying that every Jew should
own a gun. I believe that is a personal choice that comes with great
responsibility. Judaism does not have a univocal attitude towards guns, and the
claim that being pro-gun is idolatrous or antithetical to Jewish values is
false. But I do believe that rabbis, Jews, and Jewish organizations should be
pro-gun.
