Being a child born to parents of the
'60s, I grew up in an anti-war, anti-gun environment. Guns were evil. My
mom used to tell me, “Guns kill people”. My brother never played
cops & robbers, or cowboys & indians for one simple reason –
there were no guns in our house. Not even a toy gun. So I guess it
was no surprise when I had my kids that guns were absent from their
many toys. Imagine my horror then when on his first day of preschool
my 2 year old Yossi (a'h) came home and immediately showed me what he
had learned. He took three Duplos and stuck them together, two
smaller ones in a stack on the bottom of one longer one and voila!
He had a toy gun. Over the years, there were various requests. “Can
I have a water gun?” “What about a cap gun?” Always the same
answer, “No, not in my house.” When Yossi got sick though, I did
give in and allow my in-laws to buy him some. (He was living in
their house; so technically, it wasn't in my
house. I was never comfortable with the idea that he was playing
with guns.
Fast forward to
this past presidential election. One night I was looking through how
each candidate felt about each issue. The question of gun control
came up.
“Q:
Is the D.C. law prohibiting ownership of handguns consistent with an
individual’s right to bear arms?” 1
Whoa, wait a second! There is a law in Washington, DC, preventing
the ownership of a handgun? I was intrigued to find out that there
are several places where owning a handgun is illegal, and one of the
then candidates felt that this was within the realms of the US
Constitution. That didn't seem right me. I starting looking some
more, and was even more surprised to find the reasoning behind these
laws ... if you prevent homeowners from having guns, you will prevent
the criminals from getting them in the first place. (I think their
faulty reasoning is that robbers breaking into houses and steal the
legal hand guns.) This started me on an quest for information that I
never ever imagined I would go on. I started looking into what
exactly is our second amendment. What I found shocked me and turned
my world upside down. The cities with the strictest gun control laws
have the highest crime rates. Think of which cities have bans on
owning a handgun – NY city; Chicago; Washington DC. They also have
the highest crime rates in the whole country. It seems to me that if
someone has no regard for the laws of not robbing, not raping, and
not murdering, they are certainly not going to follow the law of not
owning a handgun. In fact, the citizens who legally own their guns
tend to be the most law abiding citizens, scrupulously following the
laws set upon them. With this in mind, I set out to my local
shooting range. A friend offered me a practical piece of advice –
start small. So I arrived at the range, and for the first time in my
life, I stood there trying to decide which gun I wanted to use. I
picked a semi-automatic .22. They were extremely helpful, showing me
how to load the gun, how to aim, and gave me some pointers. With a
cheerful wave and a smile, and a nice “Have Fun!” I headed off to
the range. My whole body shook as I loaded 10 bullets into the gun.
Even though it was January, I wasn't shivering from the cold. I
shook with fear, knowing I head a lethal weapon in my hand. I gave
up after 15 rounds, although I was quite proud of myself for actually
doing it. (I joked around that my hands were no longer innocent.) I
did return the next week, and the next week and even the next one
after that. I worked my way up from that little .22 to a 9 mm and
then finally settled on a Smith and Wesson .357. I was hooked! I
wanted a gun for personal protection. I liked the look and feel, and
was able to control it very nicely. Next in my quest was to actually
buy it. It seems that the one I picked was back ordered every where.
I finally found it from an online auction site. Before anyone
thinks that just anyone can buy a gun online, let me point this out
... the gun can only ship to an authorized dealer who runs all the
usual background checks. (The gun I ultimately got is a revolver,
not a semi-automatic like I had originally started out with.)
My in-laws think
it is so funny how I have done such a total 180 on this issue. I
have gone being totally against to being pro-gun ownership. I did
take my kids to the shooting range. One daughter wanted nothing to
do with it. My boys loved it. Our range offers a private safety
class for children. It teaches them basic gun safety, and actually
takes them onto the range where they get to use both a semi-automatic
and a revolver. My gun sits in a special gun safe fully loaded with
extra ammo. I sleep a little better knowing I have protection. I
also took an extensive 9 hour class on gun safety. After passing
this class, I was able to apply for my Concealed Handgun Permit. I
am in the process of trying to decide what gun I want to carry on my
person. It is a hard decision, because I want to make sure it is
small and light, but big enough to have good stopping power.
Recently, I was asked, “Why do you feel you need to have a gun?”
I don't live in a high crime area. However, a short while ago, there
was an incident a few homes away in which a young lady was kidnapped
at gun point. The economy is taking a turn for the worse, and
unfortunately, it is known that at times like these crime rates tend
to go up. I want to know that if chas v'shalom something happens, my
family will be protected. Last week, at a local convenience store, a
guy walked in and shot the owner two times. He then tried to round
up the other patrons, but met with an unexpected surprise. One of
them was armed, and his quick action saved many lives. Surveillance
footage shows that several times this robber aimed his gun at
innocent people. It was an armed citizen who saved the lives of
these other shoppers.
Sadly, the places
that need armed protection the most are sorely lacking. I teach at
our local Chabad Hebrew School. The front door is open to allow the
kids to come in and parents to go out. After what happened in
Mumbai, I am scared. I want to make sure nothing like that happens
chas v'shalom in our Chabad House. However, state law prohibits me
from bringing my loaded gun into the class (even if it is strapped to
me in a holster or in my pocket book). What good would my gun be
locked in my car? April 2, 2009, Nicole & Ben Goeser were eating
in a restaurant in Nashville, TN. Although Nicole had a concealed
weapons permit, she had to leave her gun locked in her car during
dinner. The law on the books at that time prohibited CHP holders
from carrying in a restaurant that serves liquor. Ben was gunned
down right before Nicole's eyes, while she sat there; helpless to do
anything. (Nicole was instrumental in changing this law, but it
won't bring back her husband.) Time and time again, if you search
carefully, you can find stories that get buried in the news. The
truth about guns is this – GUNS SAVE LIVES. Criminals think twice
about entering a home if they know there is a chance that they will
be looking down the barrel of a gun. Think of all the people the
brave guard of the National Holocaust Museum saved by shooting the
crazed lunatic. It is too horrifying to think what might have
happened had those guards been sitting there with nothing more than a
“Please don't shoot us” that day. It is the cities that have
taken the guns away from home owners and left them sitting ducks.
According to the book, The Bias Against Guns by John R. Lott Jr., the
homicide bombers in Eretz Yisroel originally tried shooting people in
a busy Yerushalayim area. After their first attempt, they gave up.
Too many Israeli citizens are armed. It was that realization that
led them to start strapping bombs to themselves. There is a bumper
sticker among gun advocates: When seconds count, the police are only
minutes away. Interestingly enough, Jews are usually the ones who
are the pacifists. It was the Jews in Germany who urged others to
give up their guns when the Nazis (yamach shmo) started to un-arm
citizens. It is not something that is usually talked about, but
given the situation in the world, I don't think it would hurt for all
of us to become familiar with how to work a gun, and into owning one.
I do realize that if Rivky & Gavi (HY”D) had had guns it
wouldn't have helped them. (The pictures I saw of the terrorists
were horrifying. They had bullet proof vests and automatic weapons
and a lot of clips with extra ammunition.) I do feel against a
single gunman though, a homeowner or a Chabad House or a school
should be able to fight back.
And my kids now?
Do I let them play with guns? No. Because guns are not toys. I
don't like the idea of them running around and pretending to shoot
someone. I want them to respect and appreciate the gun for what it
is, a valuable tool used for the preservation of human life.
1http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Gun_Control.htm
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