It is not weapons that kill. The person holding the weapon kills. Weapons are a tool that can cause serious disasters and real tragedies, along with the fact that they have the power to save people from a difficult fate. It all depends on the person who operates it.
When a person does this for important and noble purposes, mainly saving human lives and attacking murderous evil, he fulfills a great mitzvah and performs a fundamental moral act. But when he uses this weapon to harm those whom he is forbidden to harm, he commits one of the most serious offenses there is – bloodshed, "because in the image of God he made man."
GPO
First and foremost, the person holding the weapon is responsible for his actions. "A person stumbles into the world," and the way of the Torah is to see a person as an entity with free choice, on whom all the meanings of his actions are imposed. However, as with many ethical issues, there is environmental responsibility, which is imposed on the various systems: governmental, judicial, security forces, education systems, welfare systems and other entities.
From the affair of a decapitated wagon, we learn that where bloodshed is forbidden, the elders of the community must also be in a position where they can say, "Our hands did not spill this blood." The responsibility imposed on them stems from their very governmental status, and from the very responsibility demanded by the Torah, morality and humanity.
Exercising the warranty
The exercise of responsibility is a significant check to who is given the weapon, and who is trusted to use it only in those emergency situations for which it is intended. The realization of responsibility is to strengthen the defense systems of future victims, within the family and within society, so that weapons are not directed at them. Exercising responsibility involves formulating sharp and simple rules for its use, and implementing the open-fire regulations as a condition for possession of weapons.
Distribution of weapons to alert squads in the Upper Galilee (archive), photo: Eyal Margolin/Ginny
The realization of responsibility is the creation of an advocacy mechanism and the fight against weapons games, which too often lead to serious disasters. Exercising responsibility is a requirement at shooting ranges and security tests, so that the weapon does not inadvertently harm those who are not supposed to harm it.
The exercise of responsibility is also expressed in limiting its use and combating the establishment of armed groups acting on their own; The fulfillment of the warranty is in strict security instructions of storage and storage, prevention of theft or play by children, and much more.
Distribution of weapons to alert squads in the Upper Galilee (archive), photo: Eyal Margolin - Ginny
Empowering security
Shortcuts stemming from the emergency we are in are a very dangerous introduction to crimes and disasters. The vital need for arming civilians and alert forces is the justification for distributing weapons in a decentralized manner, but these weapons must not become a double-edged sword, and ultimately bring a curse far greater than their usefulness. Just as the government will be credited with the protection that these weapons will provide, so too any disaster or crime caused by negligence or governmental lawlessness will be attributed to its duty.
At the same time, responsibility is not removed from the shoulders of the person holding the weapon. If he is not skilled, he must invest privately in his training – shooting ranges, safety rules, etc. – so that he is not an accidental imminent. If he does not know the rules of engagement, he must learn them so that he will not be an accidental murderer. If he knows that he is losing his temper and acting violently, he must return his weapon so that his mental turmoil does not lead to disaster. If he doesn't have ways to store and store the weapon safely, he shouldn't buy it. Only in this way will we refrain from inflicting prohibited harm with weapons, and it will indeed lead to increased security and increased ability to deal with those who seek our lives.
The writer is head of the Center for Ethics at the Tzohar Rabbinic Organization
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