Is Owning A Gun A Lack Of Hishtadlus?

Hi, this is Dov Baron Olowski with our question and answer series. Is owning a gun a lack of hishtadlus? Does the rabbi own a gun? So, like uh when I used to teach Gemara, I would always say there's basically two answers to every question in the Gemara. Either it depends or it's a machlokes. >> [laughter] >> Here it depends. Um if you live in a dangerous place and you're worried for your life, uh having a gun, assuming you know how to use it, is very important. Having a gun and not knowing how to use it is very dangerous. My father had a flower shop in downtown Brooklyn and they had been robbed a number of times and my father used to carry a gun. Uh when he passed away, my mother had his gun. Yeah? So, uh so one day my nephew came in to check up on my mother. My mother heard someone at the door and she grabbed my father's gun and shot a hole in her armoire. And uh shortly after that, they took the gun away from her. >> [laughter] >> Cuz she doesn't know what to do with a gun. And uh often times people have a gun end up innocent people get killed or it's used on them instead and uh unless you really know how to use a gun, be very careful. There's a lot of safety rules that are associated with it. But if you do know how to use a gun, here in Israel on more than one occasion, a terrorist attack was stopped by a citizen with a gun. I remember the story many years ago where there was a terrorist in the middle of Jerusalem. You know, and like five people pulled out guns. And they captured him without anyone getting hurt. And he was interviewed by the foreign press and he said, "I can't believe that a country like Israel doesn't have gun control." >> [laughter] [gasps] >> Because the problem with gun control is the bad guys don't follow the laws. So you want to take the guns away from the honest people. You know, and they always bring examples of different shootings that took place. Cuz but most of the time the shooter was stopped by a different honest citizen who had a gun. If nobody has a gun and this guy does have a gun, you're going to be in serious trouble. So depending on situations, and that's why there are people who are living there stuck in or they're soldiers, etc., who carry guns because they know that you live in a dangerous situation or you live in a dangerous place and you need a gun to protect yourself. So in that case, it's definitely uh hishtadlus. If you are on the level of bitachon, well, you don't have to worry about anything. No question about it. You don't need it. You know? Um I think it was Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld during the Arab riots. He had to go from the old city to uh to I think it was Rechavia and go back or Sha'arei Chesed or whatever it was, you know. And he's walking around. They said, "Rebbi, you're walking around because aren't you afraid?" He goes, "Why?" Cuz Baruch Hashem, he'll protect me. So if you're on that level bitachon, you don't have to worry about it. But if you're not, you know? Um Tom Lehrer, the professor of mathematics in Harvard University, who's best known for writing funny songs, was talking about nuclear proliferation. I remember one line when he gets it, he goes, "Egypt's going to get one, too, just to use on you know who. So, Israel's getting tense. One's one in self-defense. The Lord's our shepherd, says the psalm, but just in case, we better get a bomb. >> [laughter] >> So, yeah, sometimes proper precautions are necessary in a situation. So, a person who's on the level be talking that they're not afraid, they're not worried, and they're sure cuz they're going to take care of them. Definitely does not need a gun. And Rashi at the beginning of Devarim says that if it hadn't been for the Meraglim, we wouldn't need any weapons. We would have marched into Eretz Yisrael with the Aron, and all of our enemies would have fled before us. Uh because of the Meraglim, we had no choice. We had to fight wars, and we needed weapons. So, based on the level you are, we'll make that determination. So, it depends where you are, who you are, and what the circumstances are that you're living under. This is David Alosky with our question and answer series.