This tragedy was followed by an outpouring of social media threats, prompting many to rethink their position on firearms.
NBC News reported the transformation of Orthodox Jewish mother and artist Henya Chein. Her family of four moved from New York to Florida last year, and when they arrived her husband decided to purchase a handgun.
The 26-year-old said she was against the decision and would “just block it out of my mind.” That all changed when over 1,400 Israelis were massacred in the Hamas terror strike on Oct. 7.
Chein suddenly found herself attending a gun safety seminar hosted by her synagogue last week and then underwent a personal training session at a nearby gun range.
She said she was “terrified” of the weapon even then but felt “forced to do it because Jewish people are not safe anywhere now.”
The Reload quoted Joshua, a Los Angeles doctor, noting “there’s another order coming from Hamas to kill the Jews. I happen to be Jewish, and I don’t want to be killed.” This led him to the decision to purchase his first firearm just last week.
“I was at a local gun store a couple of days ago, when my wife was doing her firearms training test, and it was full. There was a line outside to get in for people to do their tests or buy firearms or practice on the range. And I would say it was 90% Jewish people and Israelis.”
Like many in his community, Joshua said his motivation was Oct. 7.
“It was a horrific attack on civilians by Hamas with the tally now up close to 1,500 dead. It’s the worst attack against Jews since the Holocaust. I never thought I’d say this, but it’s almost worse than the Nazis. They buried the bodies or cremated the bodies. The Nazis hid their atrocities, Hamas is live streaming their atrocities.”
Another Jewish gun purchaser in Los Angeles, 35-year-old Simon, explained his reasoning for taking this step. “Now is the time to arm myself and protect my family. So, I’ve decided to purchase my first firearm and undergo firearm, general situational awareness and home defense training.”
Among firearms trainers and Jewish organizations focusing on security in the U.S. there has been a crushing surge in clients since Oct. 7. David Kowalsky owns Florida Gun Store in Hollywood, Florida.
He noted “we’ve seen a tremendous increase in religious Jewish people, Orthodox people, purchasing firearms. I’ve seen a surge in interest in individual training as well as group training.”
The Jewish entrepreneur reported that local synagogues are contacting him to inquire about hosting safety seminars and shooting sessions. Most of his participants, he observed, are new to firearms.
“These are mothers, teachers, the majority of them are mostly people who have never interacted with firearms or thought about owning them. There’s a safety concern. I think people are nervous about what’s going on and what can happen.”
Magen Am is a Jewish non-profit which provides armed security services on the West Coast. Rabbi Yossi Eilfort is the founder and president of the group, and he told The Reload that hundreds have reached out to his business since the Oct. 7 tragedy.
“The day that the attack happened, we had 638 calls on our hotline number from Sunday to Thursday of last week, which for a small organization like us is a lot to balance. On an average week, I’d say we maybe get 40 or 50.”
