Israelis, Jews in US Seek Gun Ownership After Hamas Attack
Summary from the AllSides News Team
More Israelis and Jews in the U.S. are reportedly looking to buy guns after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.
Key Quotes: "We’ve definitely seen a tremendous increase in religious Jewish people, Orthodox people, purchasing firearms," said David Kowalsky, a Jewish man and the owner of the Florida Gun Store in Hollywood, Fla. "I’ve seen a surge in interest in individual training as well as group training. These are mothers, teachers, the majority of them are mostly people who have never interacted with firearms or thought about owning them."
How the Media Covered it: Both NBC News (Lean Left bias) and Washington Examiner (Lean Right) reported on Kowalsky's statements, and the Financial Times (Center) reported on an uptick on people in Israel looking to buy guns. NBC highlighted several people who said they were seeking guns despite concerns about gun safety, and said the attack and subsequent social media threats "have forced many American Jews to reconsider their long held stances against owning or using guns." Washington Examiner noted how "the uptick in Jews looking to defend themselves comes after Jewish gun owners in New York sued the state's leadership in 2022 for banning firearms in places of worship."
Why the Difference: People on the left are generally more skeptical of firearm ownership than people on the right, and media coverage often reflects that divide.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
‘Not safe anywhere now’: American Jews are flocking to gun training classes
Henya Chein has always been terrified of guns. The Orthodox Jewish artist and mother of two felt uneasy about her husband’s decision to buy a handgun after they moved to Florida from New York last year.
“I would just block it out of my mind that it’s in the house,” Chein, 26, said.
But after watching the events unfold in Israel, she’s taken steps she never imagined herself ever taking. Chein attended a gun safety seminar at her synagogue last week followed by a one-on-one session at a local shooting range....
From the Center
Israelis queue to buy guns in aftermath of Hamas attacks
In a suburb of the Israeli city of Kefar Sava, gunshots rang out on a quiet Friday from firearms practice at a nearby shooting range. And in the city of Holon, a queue snaked around a building as Israelis lined up to buy guns.
Firearms sales have surged among Jewish Israelis since October 7, when civilians were forced to fight off Palestinian Hamas militants while waiting for the army to respond to a cross-border raid that claimed 1,400 Israeli lives, according to Israeli authorities.
The deadliest attack within...
From the Right
'Tremendous increase' in number of Jews purchasing firearms in wake of Hamas attack
A rising number of Jews are seeking training to protect themselves with a firearm in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel, with one gun shop seeing a "tremendous increase" in purchases made by Jewish customers.
The attack on Oct. 7 by the Hamas terrorist group on Israel has put the world on alert, with many Jews looking for ways to protect themselves from similar attacks. One defense tactic Jewish people are taking is purchasing and learning how to use a firearm.
“We’ve definitely seen a tremendous increase in religious Jewish people, Orthodox people, purchasing firearms,” said David Kowalsky, a Jewish...
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