A Jew with guns and no apologies
By Stu Bykofsky. November 6th, 2018
The subject: Jews with guns.
They go together like bagels and rocks.
Everyone knows guns are anathema to American Jews.
Like most stereotypes, it contains some truth, but what has been true is changing.
My colleague Samantha Melamed's story Monday probably surprised some: In response to the Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh, the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history, some Philly-area Jews are arming up.
The truth is, some Jews, such as myself, were armed long before the Pittsburgh massacre. And we did not take up arms because of anti-Semitism, which is an abhorrent but minor slice of our American pie.
Yes, reported hate crimes against Jews jumped 57 percent in 2017. The actual numbers are less scary: They went from 1,267 incidents to 1,986. That is fewer than 2,000 incidents in a country of 325 million people. Even when they march with tiki torches, they are a lunatic fringe.
In 1968, specific attacks on or threats against Jewish institutions led to formation of the Jewish Defense League, which calls itself a self-defense organization but also has been called a right-wing extremist group. It urges all Jews to own firearms.
....... 
"'Never again.' To me that means, never again be so helpless." This pretty much sums up an example of totally logical thinking - the wisdom of taking responsibility for one's own safety, even if being armed may be no guarantee of survival - it is however a big step towards improving the odds compared with being defenseless. It has to be wondered why for so many there is a perceived stigma attached to being armed, as if somehow it is an expression of weakness when in fact it is a position of strength.
