Q:
When a person works in a dangerous neighborhood, is it advisable to apply for a license for a gun?
A:
Now that’s a question that’s not so easy to answer because many times you can get by with a substitute for a gun. We say in Elokai Netzor, ונפשי כעפר לכל תהיה – my soul should be like dust to everybody. If somebody, a goy, is fresh and insults you, become an anav. It pays to be an anav. You’ll live longer if you’re an anav. But when you have a gun in your pocket, you might forget yourself and answer back something rash. And then, it’s not so certain that he doesn’t have a gun.
I was once walking in the street and visited a friend of mine. I carried a stick, a heavy stick; this was many years ago, about thirty years ago.
He told me, “It’s dangerous to carry a stick.” It’s dangerous to carry a stick, because first of all they could take the stick away and hit you with it. That’s number one.
Secondly, with a stick, you’re reckless. Without a stick, you’ll stay home. You’re safer off. And it’s better always to avoid trouble in the first place.
I told you this many times. The Chinese say, “Who is a hero? The one who knows how to run away.” That’s a hero – you know how to run away.
So therefore, I won’t answer the question directly because it’s always better to avoid any possibility of danger. And carrying a gun sometimes makes you reckless and you go into places where ordinarily you wouldn’t go.
(November 1988)
