10 March 14 • 2019
jn

After 
Pittsburgh …

Local security 
policies may vary, but no one is 
talking about who might be packing at shul.

A

aron Tobin does not widely 
advertise his gun safety and 
training courses. Since the 
Pittsburgh shootings Oct. 27, 2018, when 
a lone gunman killed 
11 workshippers, his 
business, about 95 per-
cent word of mouth, has 
spiked. He trains many 
in the Jewish community, 
including rabbis, how to 
handle a weapon. After 
they complete their train-
ing, they ask him not to 
tell anyone they took the course or own 
a gun.
He has no problem with Jews carry-
ing guns to synagogue; but only if they 

have been granted permission from 
rabbis or the board, are highly trained in 
active-shooter situations and then only 
if they think they can keep a cool head if 
the unthinkable arises. 
“
A gun is like an instrument you 
must practice on a regular basis,
” Tobin 
cautioned. “If you are not trained for an 
active-shooter situation, or if you do not 
know or do not think you are going to 
react in a calm responsible manner, it is 
best to leave your gun at home.
”
Around the country, many Jews are 
taking up this conversation about the 
unthinkable, about being targeted in a 
space where they should feel safest: the 
sanctuaries of their synagogues. 
While most sources would not give 

a definitive answer if they are allowing 
congregants to carry to services — lead-
ing to a “don’
t ask, don’
t tell” climate — 
the response to the presence of guns in 
synagogue ranged widely. 
While some said they would not mind 
and would welcome the presence of a 
gun in the hands of a CPL owner, others 
adamantly said they did not want any 
guns in their building or, at the very 
most, only to be carried by trained and 
paid professionals. 
Though no specific synagogue would 
disclose, there are some worshipers 
packing heat in Detroit’
s synagogues.
Tobin’
s eight-hour training course, 
given at private locations at a client’
s 
request, is far more thorough than the 
standard two-hour classes typically given 
to new gun owners. To Tobin, 57, who 
attends Congregation Shomer Israel in 
Oak Park, two hours is not good enough; 
neither is infrequent practicing.
Safety and responsibility are of the 
utmost priority for every gun owner, he 
said.
“People like to say that nice Jewish 
boys don’
t own guns, and I say, ‘
Have 
you been to Israel?’
” said the nationally 
certified Concealed Pistol License (CPL) 
instructor. “I believe that every Jewish 
person needs to know how to defend 

himself or herself. There is a stigma 
among Jews about owning and carrying 
a gun.
”

MICHIGAN LAW
Gary Sikorski, who heads the commu-
nity-wide security department of the 
Jewish Federation of 
Metropolitan Detroit, 
explained that under 
Michigan state laws it is 
up to the individual lead-
ership of each house of 
worship to work out their 
own policy of allowing 
congregants to carry. 
If a synagogue does 
allow members or trained profession-
als to carry, Sikorski said they are not 
mandated to inform Federation who 
these people are. But if a synagogue 
does permit congregants to carry, he 
advises they should create a well-word-
ed written policy to be signed by the 
CPL congregant. 
Ultimately, Sikorski said best practices 
include strengthening preventative secu-
rity measures to avoid a gunfight, such 
as hardening access to the building and 
extra surveillance in lobbies and other 
areas of the building. 
“I am aware of synagogues and other 

jews d
in 
the
on the cover

continued on page 12

Some of the memorials outside Tree of Life 
Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people 
were killed on Shabbat, Oct. 27, 2018

OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY ANDREA HANKS

Aaron Tobin

Gary Sikorski

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

