A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
מתני׳ ללֹא יֵצֵא הָאִישׁ לֹא בְסַיִף, וְלֹא בְקֶשֶׁת, וְלֹא בִתְרִיס, וְלֹא בְאַלָּה, וְלֹא בְרֹמַח. וְאִם יָצָא, חַיָּב חַטָּאת. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, תַּכְשִׁיטִין הֵן לוֹ. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אֵינָן אֶלָּא לִגְנַאי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ב) וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבוֹתָם לְאִתִּים וַחֲנִיתוֹתֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרוֹת, לֹא יִשָּׂא גּוֹי אֶל גּוֹי חֶרֶב וְלֹא יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה.
MISHNAH: A man may not go out [on Shabbat] with a sword, nor with a bow, nor with a shield, nor with a round shield, nor with a spear. If he has gone out [with any of these] he is liable to bring a Chattat [sacrificial offering]. Rabbi Eliezer says: These are simply decorations that he is wearing. But the Sages say: It is shameful for him to wear these as decoration, as the verse states, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears unto pruning-books; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).
Questions:
1) Is Rabbi Eliezer's position that a weapon is simply an accessory a viable position in the US, at least in parts of the country where most people own guns? _____________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________
ר' נתן אומר מניין שלא יגדל אדם כלב רע בתוך ביתו ואל יעמיד סולם רעוע בתוך ביתו שנאמר (דברים כב, ח) ולא תשים דמים בביתך:
Rabbi Nathan says: From where [do we derive] that a person should not raise a "bad" dog inside his house nor should a person put up a ruined ladder inside her home? It is stated: "and you shall not bring blood upon your house" (Deuteronomy 22:8).
Questions:
1) This text indicates that a person is responsible for damage caused by problematic property in his house. Should a gun be considered to be a "broken object" likely to cause damage like a ruined ladder or dangerous dog? _____________________________________________
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(א) אִם־בַּמַּחְתֶּ֛רֶת יִמָּצֵ֥א הַגַּנָּ֖ב וְהֻכָּ֣ה וָמֵ֑ת אֵ֥ין ל֖וֹ דָּמִֽים׃
(1) If a thief is found breaking in, and be stricken so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him.
(א) אם במחתרת. כשהיה חותר את הבית:
(ב) אין לו דמים. אין זו רציחה, הרי הוא כמת מעיקרו כאן למדתך תורה אם בא להרגך, השכם להרגו, וזה להרגך בא שהרי יודע הוא, שאין אדם מעמיד עצמו ורואה שנוטלין ממונו בפניו ושותק, לפיכך על מנת כן בא, שאם יעמוד בעל הממון כנגדו יהרגנו:
If in the act of breaking in. While he was searching the house.
Shall be no bloodguilt for him. This is not murder. [The thief] is like a dead person from the onset [of his break-in]. Here the Torah teaches that if someone comes to kill you, you should kill him; and this one comes to kill you, since you know who he is, and a person will not stand idle when she sees things be taken from her and remain silent. Therefore the thief comes knowing that if the property owner stands up to him and [the thief will try to] kill her.
Questions:
1) Does it appear from this source that the Torah would allow a person to keep weapons for self-protection in her home? ________________________________________________________
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2) Would an assault rifle fall within the category of an object for reasonable self-protection?
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(16) You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; neither shall you stand idly by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
Questions:
1) This source indicates that we have a responsibility to act when we see a person in danger. Does this mean we should carry weapons in public so as to be able to protect others?
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אין מוכרין להם לא זיין ולא כלי זיין ואין משחיזין להן את הזיין ואין מוכרין להן לא סדן ולא קולרין ולא כבלים ולא שלשלאות של ברזל אחד עובד כוכבים ואחד כותי...
א"ר דימי בר אבא כדרך שאסור למכור לעובד כוכבים אסור למכור ללסטים ישראל
We don't sell to them (idolators) a weapon or the case or accessories of a weapon, nor do we sharpen a blade for them. Not stocks, nor neck-chains, nor fetters, nor chains of bronze--neither to an idolater nor to another non-Jew.
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Rav Dimi Bar Abba said: In a likewise manner, that which it is forbidden to sell to an idolater [it is also] forbidden to sell to an Israelite [i.e. Jewish] bandit.
Questions:
1) The Gemara in Avodah Zarah states that we are forbidden from selling idolators or bandits weapons because we have a reasonable suspicion that they would use them for negative purposes. Does this mean that we need to know the intents of the people buying weapons from us?_________________________________________________________________________
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2) Nowadays there are background checks performed on people buying guns in most gun sales. Should we trust that a background check is sufficient proof that a person has no intent to use a weapon for negative purposes? _______________________________________________
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3) Would there be a problem with someone selling a weapon without a background check?
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(8) When you build a new house, you shall make a fence around your roof, so that you will not be responsible for any death in/upon your house when any man fall from it.
If it were to happen that someone falls from there you would not be the indirect cause [since you had put up a protective railing]. Had you not done so, your family might bear part of the bloodguilt for such a mishap.
Questions:
1) The Torah believes that certain things, like a roof, are inherently dangerous, and a person is liable for any damage caused by them unless they add a way of protecting people from this damage. Would a gun qualify as such an "inherently dangerous" object? ________________________________________
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2) Has a gun shop owner who teaches a person how to use the "safety" on the gun fulfilled the "fence" standard, meaning that he would not be responsible for any damage now caused from this object?
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(ח) כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאֵין מוֹכְרִין לְעוֹבֵד כּוֹכָבִים דְּבָרִים שֶׁמַּחֲזִיקִין בָּהֶן יְדֵיהֶן לַעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים כָּךְ אֵין מוֹכְרִין לָהֶם דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ נֵזֶק לָרַבִּים כְּגוֹן דֻּבִּים וַאֲרָיוֹת וּכְלֵי זַיִן וּכְבָלִים וְשַׁלְשְׁלָאוֹת. וְאֵין מַשְׁחִיזִין לָהֶם אֶת הַזַּיִן. וְכָל שֶׁאָסוּר לְמָכְרוֹ לְעוֹבֵד כּוֹכָבִים אָסוּר לְמָכְרוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הֶחָשׁוּד לִמְכֹּר לְעוֹבֵד כּוֹכָבִים. וְכֵן אָסוּר לִמְכֹּר כְּלֵי נֵזֶק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לִסְטִים:
(ט) הָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל שׁוֹכְנִים בֵּין הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וְכָרְתוּ לָהֶם בְּרִית מֻתָּר לִמְכֹּר כְּלֵי זַיִן לְעַבְדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְגֵיסוֹתָיו מִפְּנֵי שֶׁעוֹשִׂים בָּהֶם מִלְחָמָה עִם צָרֵי הַמְּדִינָה לְהַצִּילָהּ וְנִמְצְאוּ מְגִנִּים עָלֵינוּ שֶׁהֲרֵי אָנוּ שְׁרוּיִין בְּתוֹכָם
8) Just as one may not sell to idolaters items which they could use in their idolatrous practices, so also may one not sell to them things which can cause damage to the public, such as bears, lions, weapons, dogs, man-traps, et cetera, and nor may one sharpen their sword for them. It is forbidden to sell to a Jew who is suspected of dealing with idolaters any item which one may not sell [directly] to an idolater, and nor may one sell to Jewish bandits items that can cause damage.
9) If Jews living amongst idolaters made a covenant with them, it is permitted for them to sell weapons to the king's subjects and soldiers, because they will fight the enemies of the country, and will [as a result] be protecting the Jews who live amongst them.
Questions:
1) The Rambam adds a caveat to the limitation on selling weapons to idolators, noting that we can sell to these people if we made a deal with them that they would use these weapons to help protect us. Should this caveat apply to gun owners, most of whom use them for protection?____________________
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הנראה בעיני כי היה למך איש חכם מאד בכל מלאכת מחשבת ולמד לבנו הבכור ענין המרעה כפי טבעי הבהמות ולמד את השני חכמת הנגון ולמד את השלישי ללטוש ולעשות חרבות ורמחים וחניתות וכל כלי המלחמה והיו נשיו מתפחדות שלא יענש כי הביא החרב והרציחה בעולם והנה הוא תופש מעשה אבותיו בידו כי הוא בן המרצח הראשון וברא משחית לחבל והוא אמר להן אני לא הרגתי איש לפצעים ולא ילד לחבורות כאשר עשה קין ולא יענישני השם אבל ישמרני מן ההריגה יותר ממנו והזכיר כן לומר כי לא בחרב וחנית יכול אדם להרוג בפצעים וחבורות שימית במיתה רעה יותר מן החרב ואין החרב גורם הרציחה ואין על העושו חטא
It appears to me that Lamech (a descendant of Kayin whose son invented iron tools) was a very smart man knowledgeable in all types of creative work. He taught his oldest son tooks to use in shepharding animals, taught his second son knowledge about musical instruments, and taught his third son how to sharpen swords and spears and daggers and all other tools of war. His wives were concerned that he might be liable to face punishment from God for bringing swords and murder into the world, and because he was following in the bad footsteps of his ancestor Kayin, the first murderer, and he created sharp tools of war. He responded to them, "I haven't killed or wounded anyone like Kayin did, and therefore won't be punished by God. A man cannot murder or wound another person as a result of a weapon, as this person would just kill or would in another, worse manner if he did not have access to these weapons. Weapons don't cause murder, and therefore the inventor of weapons is not a sinner by virtue of what he created.
(ח) וכן כל מכשול שיש בו סכנת נפשות מצות עשה להסירו ולהשמר ממנו ולהזהר בדבר יפה שנאמר השמר לך ושמור נפשך ואם לא הסיר והניח המכשולות המביאים לידי סכנה ביטל מצות עשה ועובר בלא תשים דמים:
With regard to any obstacle that can cause damage, there is a positive commandment to remove and keep it away from someone who would be tempted to cause damage with it, as the Torah tells us to protect ourselves. If we do not keep dangerous objects away from people who would be tempted to use them for harm, we are not actively fulfilling the positive commandment to protect ourselves, and we are violating the prohibition against being involved in a death.
Questions:
1) The Ramban seems to argue that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". The Shulchan Aruch seems to argue the opposite position. Do you think "guns kill people?
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2) Two different positions are presented in these sources regarding whether the person who provides a person with a weapon is responsible for the damage caused by it. Which of these positions do you think is more in line with the other texts.
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