I’m Jewish. I wish that didn’t make any difference to this post. I wish I could ask “Why are Jews are so pro-gun control?” without people jumping to the conclusion that I’m anti-semitic. But them’s the rules, apparently. If you’re in a group you can criticize its obvious cultural characteristics. If you’re not, any criticism based on race, sex, religion or nation is considered racist, sexist, anti-semitic or xenophobic (what’s wrong with Lucy Lawless?). All that said, I get the distinct feeling that TTAG commentator Jimbo!!! is racist and anti-semitic. Something to do with his tone, punctuation and spelling. Does that make me grammaticist? Anyway, he’s right about one thing: Jews are extremely active in—and generally supportive of—gun control. [See: post below] Why’s that then?
If ever a people should be pro-gun rights it’s Jews. When over a dozen European governments unite to exterminate six million of your people, it’s a pretty good indication that you need to do something to defend yourself and fellow tribe members from murderous tyranny. Something like, I dunno, founding a Jewish state in the Middle East that’s a safe haven for members of your religion, and then arming yourself to the teeth, both individually and as a nation. Men and women. Dark or light skinned. Urban or rural. Reformed or Orthodox. Sephardic or Ashkenazi. Everyone gets a gun.
Check. It would also seem logical that members of the Jewish diaspora would follow suit. Make no mistake, plenty of Jews do. This website is proud to present the philosophy and advice of the rabbi. David Kenik is armed to the teeth. He’s ready, willing and able to defend himself, his family and his friends with firearms. Ready, willing and able to train both Jews and goys alike in the art of armed self-defense. (Arab-Americans too, BTW.) And again, I’m Jewish, My antagonism towards gun control couldn’t be more clear. Or profound.
There are plenty of Jews in the TTAG community: readers, writers and shooters with which I hang. But there’s no denying that Jewish politicians are leading the way in the gun-grabbing department. Mayor Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns is America’s most “effective” gun control organization. The Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence is organized by Jews. Many of the heavy hitters in the gun control movement are Jewish: Metzenbaum, Feinstein and more. The pol responsible for the odious Gun Control Act of 1968, Emanuel Celler, was Jewish.
Writing in thejewishweek.com, Steve Lipman offers some insight into the rationale behind Jewish support for gun control. The scribe chornicled the [carefully selected] Jewish community’s reaction to this summer’s Supreme Court’s McDonald decision, striking down Chicago’s handgun ban and incorporating the Second Amendment.
The Anti-Defamation League called the decision, in a case brought by a Chicago community activist who had sought protection against street gangs, “a disappointing setback in the fight against extremism and violence.”
“Extremists and those who commit hate crimes pose a serious threat to law enforcement, the general public and, more specifically, to members of the discrete racial, ethnic and religious groups who are often their targets,” a statement by ADL National Chair Robert Sugarman and National Director Abraham Foxman read. “We deeply regret that the Court has restricted the latitude that cities and states retain to keep guns out of the hands of extremists, terrorists and violent bigots.”
The Religious Action Center is a longtime supporter of gun control legislation, as a way to reduce the general level of violence in the United States, he said. “We’re concerned about the safety of all Americans. We’re concerned about the neighborhoods where we live. We’re concerned about the streets where we walk.”
Disarmament as the key to safety and security? How f’ed-up is that? You couldn’t get it more wrong if you tried; it’s exactly backwards. Jews need to arm themselves against extremists, terrorist and violent bigots. You know; like Israel. Speaking of which, these same anti-gun Jews are pro-Israel, sending them billions of U.S. tax dollars to beef-up the country’s formidable supply of advanced armaments. Disconnect much?
If I had to hazard a guess as to why Jews are gun-ho anti-gun, I’d say it’s because we/they have a strong streak of utopianism. A deep faith that humans can make things better for each other if they all work together for the common good. That society can be good, fair and just. If only we could pass the right laws.
Jews are also prone to the odd belief that authority figures can sort out society’s ills for them, especially if Jews are the authority figures in question. The concept flies in the face of both simple common sense and unfathomable tragic experience.
As a gun-owning Jew actively engaged in the act of protecting gun rights for all Americans regardless of sex, race, color or creed (John Forgarty rocks!), I will do what I can to convince my people that they are so very wrong on this issue. Meanwhile, I won’t bury the fact that “they” are deeply misguided. The truth hurts. Ignorance hurts worse.
Jews are a minority and historically targeted. In this country, those that might turn against Jews in a SHTF scenario are already armed. I would imagine limiting arms in that population in anticipation of what might be is what the Pelosi et al group is attempting.
Having said that, Jews 65 years ago, armed to the teeth and with the right foresight might have had an entirely different outcome. It may be that foresight that is clouded again today. Trust and complacency can be very dangerous things.
Blacks in this country had to have an amendment added to to the constitution after the civil war to keep the government from disarming them as a race. Maybe if the same had happened to Jews IN THIS COUNTRY they would have a different attitude.
At the risk of making a racist statement Jews as a race have been fairly successful in this country financially, especially when compared to other minorities. (Don't ask me to provide stats because I won't.) Relying on the government to protect and defend what they have achieved seems to be a terrible case of history repeating itself.
Robert, I'd like to take your statement and modify it for my own use. Replacing the word "Jews" with "some people". Do you mind?
"If I had to hazard a guess why Jews (some people) are so gun-ho anti-gun, I’d say it’s because they have a strong streak of utopianism. A deep faith that humans can make things better for each other if they all work together for the common good. That society can be good, fair and just. Either that of some sort of odd belief that authority figures can sort out society’s ills for them, especially if Jews (those same people) are the authority figures in question. Which flies in the face of both simple common sense and unfathomably tragic experience."
Fair enough. Ish. The thing of it is, that it's not "some" Jews. It's "most" Jews.
Here's my idea.
What percentage of American Jews live in either the urban Northeast or on the urban West Coast?
If most Jewish Americans live in large urban areas in the Northeast or the West Coast, then I'd figure they'd be more like to be anti-gun merely because of the political landscapes in which they live.
I'd also bet that Jewish Americans who live or who grew up in the South or the West or in Texas would be a lot more likely to be pro-gun as a group.
I'd bet that being pro-gun in Rhode Island, regardless of ethnicity or cultural heritage is rarer per capita than being pro-gun in Texas, regardless of ethnicity or cultural heritage.
I know, I know…..Wikipedia is not a great source as far as reliability goes. But according to this 2000 Census map, the greatest concentration of Jewish Americans seem to be along the coasts in large urban areas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jewish_populati…
In the great swath of "flyover" country, the concentrations of Jewish Americans seems to pretty much correspond with large urban areas, too.
Because of decades-long political and historical trends, the hotbeds of anti-gun activism in the US have developed on the American coasts, especially in large urban areas, or in large urban areas in the interior.
New York, San Francisco, Chicago…….restrictive laws, major lawsuits, Supreme Court cases, etc.
I'd say that Jewish Americans who live in these urban areas are a lot more likely to be anti-gun because every other demographic and group who lives in these areas are also a lot more likely to be anti-gun.
I hate to claim her, but if the Pelosi you refer to is Nancy Pelosi she isn't Jewish. She is Roman Catholic. The Pope probably wishes she were Jewish if that counts.
i’m not totally “anti-semitic” or “racist”….generally, i take people as i find them….and….if they don’t go out of their way to bother me, i don’t bother them!
but….when they do start bothering me, then, i start to take a long, hard, look at them and wonder “why?”……if such circumstances arise, then, i start thinking about things like “racial profiling” and “racial attitudes”/”racial characteristics”, if applicable….my “rule of thumb” is……if you don’t want me to start thinking along those lines…then…stay out of my face!
that said, it’s clearly correct that the US seems to be “top heavy” with a certain liberal/marxist-type of jew that is strongly in favour of big government and the restriction of things like fire-arm owner-ship and free speech……it’s unlikely that such attitudes would be tolerated in a country like Israel, for instance!
also, it seems strange that, for what is, in fact, a small minority of the population, (i think, maybe, much less than 10%), that jews have got such “a big say” in day-to-day life in the US!
They are ~2.2% of the US population. According to Wikipedia they make up a third of the undergraduates at Harvard, although it seems that few are studying history.
Geez only the Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews should have guns? What about the Khazars?
Gun control is common sense. Responsible people just don’t own guns… thats the reality. The most heavily armed are always the irresponsible people and countries: Israel, The US with its imperialism, criminals and murderers.
We need universal dis-armerment, starting with Jews and Israel.
Since the large scale immigration of Jews in the late 19th and early 20th century, we’ve gotten a dynamic community devoted to the destruction of everything Christian white America had become by that time. Communist subversion in the US was led by Jews. Traitorous Jew citizens gave away the atomic bomb to the Soviets. During the Vietnam war Jews stabbed American soldiers in the back.. Organized Jewry supports everything from child pornography to abortion to turning the film industry into filth. The jew senators vote to disarm us..well fuck them! Jews are an enemy to america!
Jesus the Messiah of the Christians is a Jew. Would you consider Him an enemy then?
This statement says it all! Blind love of Jews is BUILT-IN to your Christianity. Brilliant, don’t you see?
You will defend to the death the very people that have using you as slaves for centuries! You have to respect the conspiracy for how devious it is!
Sorry you feel the way you do. There are many incidents of same kind perpetrated by Christians but they rarely make the news. The fact is I am a Jew and a gun owner as well as an ardent supporter of the second amendment. You statements paints Jews with too broad a brush but I don’t think that will change your mind.
Personally I don’t have any idea why certain Jews in power want to impose gun restrictions especially in light of their history. Disarming people won’t serve to protect them. Maybe they’re suicidal but I am not.
As a proud Orthodox Jew, ex-miltary combat vet, certified firearms instructor and founder of JewishPreppers.com, I personally do not understand why American Jews aren’t the most avid 2nd amendment around. You would think we should have learned something from our long and tragic history about the need for self defense…
Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.
greed runs remped in most jews broke.
really sux for normal jews who dont suffer from this historical curse
It is my impression that the “Jews” who support gun control are the same ones who cheer on Hamas. These are not true “religious” Jews. They are Jews in the same sense that Pelosi ir the Kennedys are Catholic. Its a label to them devoid of meaning, except when it suits them to brandish the term as a weapon.
The mental illness that afflicts these people can be seen and demonstrated by asking them:
1-Would you post this gun free zone sign on your home?
2. Do you believe people have the right to self defense? If yes, then why do you seek to deny them the means to defend themselves.