Gun Violence Prevention
ACT NOW: Voice your support for gun background checks with Senate Bill S.42
While the Jewish Center for Justice respects the constitutional right to own firearms, we cannot deny the alarming and disturbing reality that the U.S. averages nearly one mass shooting per day, not to mention all other gun related violence.
In the book of Leviticus, we are commanded to never stand idly by while our neighbor’s blood is shed, a moral call that drives our support of common sense gun laws such as closing gun show loopholes and banning assault rifles. Together, we must act to curb the epidemic of gun violence that has plagued America.
- Nearly 12,000 Americans are murdered with guns every year — a rate more than 20 times higher than that of other developed countries. (Source: Everytown.org)
- The presence of a gun in domestic violence situations increases the risk of homicide against women by 500 percent. (Source: Everytown.org)
Connections: Jewish Sources
For this reason, one individual was created first, to teach that anyone who causes one life to be lost it is as if they have destroyed the entire world, and anyone who saves one life it is as if they have saved an entire world. — Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 37a
And for every stumbling block that threatens lives, one must remove it, protect oneself from it, and be exceedingly careful in its regard; as it says: “You shall guard and protect your lives,” (Deuteronomy 4:9). And if it is not removed instead is placed in front of those who come to danger, one has violated a positive commandment and has violated “bring not blood.”
— Shulhan Arukh Hoshen Mishpat 427
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