Maybe some of my readers can help me out. Mrs. DoubleTapper, who carries a Glock 26 openly in a fobus holster, seems to think that my M16A1 rifle should not be at the Sabbath table in our formal dining room.
During the Sabbath we eat our meals in our formal dining room. Each meal is a true multi course feast and can last several hours. Friends and family often join us. We sing, talk about the week, tell bible stories and enjoy the slow pace of the Jewish Sabbath at a traditional Sabbath meal.
I'll start at the beginning. Members of our community's local anti-terror team (militia) are issued M16A1 rifles by the IDF. We are requested to carry them, with 60 rounds of ammunition, our pistols, extra pistol ammo, and our beepers and walkie-talkies around the community during the Sabbath. The rest of the week our gear is locked up in our safe's unless needed.
I always carry my Glock 17, 2 33 round magazines and a cell phone, but on the Sabbath I keep my M16 rifle on my person. In Synagogue it's either under my chair or slung over my shoulder. When I arrive home, I put my M16A1 on the floor next to me so if it hits the fan, I won't have to go get it from the safe.
Mrs. DoubleTapper thinks I should lock it up.
Please post a comment here and let me know what you think.
Should I lock up my M16 rifle during Sabbath meals?
Where do you keep your rifle while you're entertaining guests in your formal dining room?
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17 comments:
Why are you required to carry it on the Sabbath? A greater chance of attacks?
If you can stand it up on the table, it'll be a great conversation starter.
what's the difference between shabbat and during the week?
i thought those 33-round magazines in the picture i had seen from the jbloggers conference. here 10-rounds is the legal max.
nice meeting you at the conference. I had not heard of your blog before, but I like it!
Anyways, maybe Mrs. Tapper meant to lock up the dog and not the gun!
You oughtta lock Mrs. Dtapper in the safe and use her spot by the table for an M2-.50 on a tripod, bud... ;-)
Steve- During the week, most of us are at work, on the Sabbathe we are home and could respond quickly if needed.
Raptor-Over 1/3 of the adult population of Israel carries a weapon. I don't think a Colt M16A1 would even be noticed.
Lion- the 33 round magazines are Glock originals and fit all Glock 9mm handguns. You can buy them in the USA too.
Rafi- Nice meeting you too. The dog is Mrs. DoubleTapper's, they'd probably lock me up.
DJ- There isn't a lock made that can hold Mrs. DoubleTapper.
DOUBLE TAPPER:
i know you can get them in the USA, but they are illegal in new york. anything above 10 rounds is illegal here (i think there are exceptions if you are grandfathered in).
Leaving the weapons unlocked on Shabbat would depend on curious hands. When our kids were little, there was less talk of locking, but one curious little boy (not ours) was lucky to have just lost a piece of a finger.
Sir, keep your weapon with you. If you have to sling it to the back of your chair fine but keep it with you and stand ready.
Murphy's Law.... you lock it up, you'll need it! That's how it always happens.
What about a middle ground? Keep it in the formal room but out of the way.
Are you familiar with the story about putting a cow in a small house...? Try putting a bazooka in the dining room for a while, after complaints about how much space it takes up, your rifle won't seem so bad. (grin)
You have an interesting blog!
best,
tamar
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Tamar
Just discovered your blog from a comment you left on Yehuda's. All I can say is, wow (or probably better, 'oo-aah!)
I like it. Your blog, I mean. My two sons served in Tzahal and now my youngest daughter is in the IDF (combat engineering) and she tells me about the new weapons she is getting (a new M16, a grenade launcher, etc.); and I know nothing about weaponry. The only time I ever held a weapon is when my older son, then living in Har Adar, asked me to put his handgun (don't remember if it was a luger or a glock)on the table. And I did once pick up my younger son's M16 to see what it felt like.
I think you should keep the rifle with you on Shabbat, and NOT locked up. Because we are dealing with barbaric animals who would think nothing of bursting into a Jew's home on Shabbat and murdering them (and they have).
Oh, and where do I put MY weapons in my formal dining room? I don't have a formal dining room...
Btw, what's a fobus holster? (I've got to send my daughter the link to your blog (they call her "rambo" in the פלוגה)
Didn't David get Goliath's Sword when he needed a weapon from a priest, since it was behind the ephod. Sounds to me like you could bring the M16, just don't play with it. 1 Samuel 21 v9 in my Bible.
But then David isn't always the best example of much except victory in the Lord.
Steve,
When everyone's home and enjoying the day is the prime time for bad guys to try to kill and maim.
I would feel uncomfortable with a big rifle at the dinner table, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I think slung over the back of your chair may be a less noticeable place while still being accessible.
or you could put holding hooks over your dining room entryway, hunting-rifle style (like in the "Little House" books)
Just curious, where do you live that the neighborhood is so bad?
This post is both funny and sad. Funny because where else are such questions asked but in Israel? Sad because the answer is "keep it unlocked" - there's a reason you've been issued the M-16 and should you, God forbid, ever have to use it, seconds can make all the difference in the world.
Good meeting you at the NBN Conference. I'm looking forward to going for target practice with you and Jameel.
Oh and this ck from Jewlicious btw. I only mention it because my Google identity log in thing probably won't give you a clue as to who I am. And I want to make sure we go shooting some time!
I wish I could carry mine anywhere and everywhere. Its a cultural thing in the middle east. I don't see why I can't here. A permit to open carry an automatic rifle or shotgun should suffice, yes? No different than a 16 year old texting away on her cellphone or a young child with a cherished toy.
I want to carry mine around!
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