Today, Yaakov went to a firing range with a gun-aficionado friend. It was the first time he ever fired a gun. He couldn't stop telling me how freaked out he was, how weird it made him feel.
We talked about it over dinner (tacos). We both used to be rabidly anti-gun. Back in the hairy hippie days, guns were bad. Period.
Now, we're ambivalent. I can see why people would want one. It's a scary world, scary people. There have been robberies in my neighborhood, what if someone was home at the time? I stay home with 2 little kids all day, what if...? G-d forbid, but I guess the question is out there.
I also feel that it puts out a very violent vibration. It almost seems to invite a very negative, sinister energy into the home. I could be reading more into it, but I don't know. There are energies to things. I'm not being hippie-dippie here, I'm being chassidish. Plus, I can't imagine my Rebbe owning a gun. He had nothing to steal, Yaakov laughed. But that's not the point. The Rebbe would never own one anyway. We talked about the previous Rebbe saying; "A Jew should not have the hands of Eisav."
I get weirded out sometimes by cops and guns. I mean, what if they just freaked out and fired? In Israel, soldiers walk around with sub-machine guns strapped to their backs, and it didn't bother me at all.
I know people who own guns. One person likes to brag about it, and that turns me off. I told Yaakov if we ever decided to buy a gun, that wouldn't be something to advertise (he agrees).
I don't know. It's just creepy.
I don't know the statistics, but I'd be willing to bet that overall, guns in the home end up injuring or killing more good guys than bad guys. How often do you hear stories about a homeowner fighting back and shooting a thief, and how often do you hear stories about kids playing with a gun they found in the house and shooting themselves or a friend? Bottom line is, by getting a gun, you're probably increasing the risk of getting hurt.
ReplyDeletealso, you have to remember to have bitochon
ReplyDeleteI thought of this last night as I was getting into bed - in the building of the beis hamikdosh, they weren't allowed to use any metal tools because metal was/is used for ammunition for war (or something like that)...so it does make sense what you're saying about bringing in a negative energy into your home.
ReplyDelete