In “Parah Adumah, Democracy and Worshiping Human Constitutions” (July 2, 2020) Rabbi Moshe Taragin bizarrely criticizes the American right to bear arms as “idolatry.” He incorrectly assumes that the Second Amendment was created to protect against foreign aggression. This is not the case. The founders of the U.S. had just cast off an oppressive government and the purpose of armed militias was to prevent domestic tyranny from our own government. Remember that the Nazis and the Soviets all severely restricted gun ownership. Indeed, it was one of the first acts of the Nazis to confiscate civilian weapons to consolidate their power.

Rabbi Taragin then goes on to assert that the sole purpose of handguns is to murder fellow citizens. These weapons, once legally obtained and licensed through a detailed process, are for protection against murderers, thieves and rapists. This is not the Halachic definition of murder. At a time where civil unrest is rampant and the police are stretched too thin, it is incomprehensible how anyone would criticize legal gun ownership as idol worshiping. The Second Amendment guarantees the right of every eligible American to gun ownership, despite some state’s overly burdensome restrictions on law abiding citizens.

For those of us who do not have the luxury of living in Israel surrounded by Jews with weapons, we face uncertain times with the responsibility of defending ourselves. The LA riots and the Crown Heights riots are not distant memories. The mayor of New York unfairly castigates the whole Jewish community while he hamstrings the police. If a person wants to wait until the police get around to saving them, that is their decision. However, no one has the right to infringe on the constitutional rights of those who choose to be able to defend their property, their families and their lives.

During times of similar unrest, Meir Kahane z”l said “every Jew a.22.” It would be hard to disagree with that today, except for the need for a larger caliber.