As violence and antisemitic attacks skyrocket in New York, Jews are being targeted and the CEO of Kars4Kids, Eliyohu Mintz, is suing over a Democrat gun law limiting concealed carry which he is calling unconstitutional.

The Concealed Carry Improvement Act prohibits most New Yorkers from bringing weapons into places of religious observation or summer camps. It was passed last year and Mintz has filed litigation against it, according to the June 30 Albany Federal Court filing against the state.

Kars4Kids takes car donations and ostensibly puts them toward helping disadvantaged children who are impoverished. It’s also known for its ad jingle. Mintz is CEO of the Jewish charity Oorah as well, which runs a summer camp in Schoharie County.

“The violent attacks on Jewish people targeting places of worship and places where children are — the most vulnerable of the population — are random and provide the victims with no notice or advance warning,” Mintz, who is a concealed-carry permit holder, contended, according to court papers.

“I cannot be left unprepared and unarmed in the event that an evildoer decides to attack one or both of the campuses, nor can the other licensed staff members,” he added.

The Concealed Carry Improvement Act is being challenged in a number of lawsuits. Gov. Kathy Hochul rammed it through in July 2022 after the Supreme Court struck down New York’s longstanding law that determined who and who couldn’t obtain a concealed-carry gun permit.

The new law went into effect in September. It bans New Yorkers from carrying guns in “sensitive locations,” which include schools, summer camps, bars, medical facilities, and houses of worship.

As more and more Jews are attacked in New York, they are becoming increasingly worried for the safety of themselves and their children due to rising antisemitism.

Better to carry and risk arrest than be dead.

— Jim Esposito (@P2VCrew) July 8, 2023

Attacks against Jews in the US hit an all-time high last year as a wave of antisemitism swept the country, endangering them. New York led the nation with 580 incidents, according to a March report by the Anti-Defamation League.

“There’s always antisemitism brewing and we always need to be vigilant,” Tzvi Waldman, who is the founder of NYS Jewish Gun Club, told the New York Post.

The gun club has had hundreds of Orthodox Jews join since its inception in 2019 in an effort to learn how to properly defend themselves.

“We never know when some crazy guy is gonna act out the things he sees online in the chat rooms,” Waldman noted.

Staff and students at the camp are easily identifiable as Orthodox Jews due to the way they dress. That makes firearm security even more urgent according to Eric Schwartz, who is a camp administrator taking part in the lawsuit.

Outrageous that vulnerable people cannot defend themselves or, even better, shield themselves from needing to, in “sensitive locations,” aka places they are in specific danger.

— Sarina Kopinsky (@GCKopinsky) July 3, 2023

Schwartz contends that over the years, the camp’s sites have been “openly targeted… for discriminatory acts including yelling ethnic and hateful slurs and throwing objects, including Molotov cocktails.”

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency first reported on the pending lawsuit. It names New York State Police’s acting superintendent, Steve Nigrelli; Schoharie County Sheriff Ronald Stevens; and Susan Mallery, the county’s district attorney in it.

Another lawsuit has been brought by two pastors seeking to carry weapons in church. In May, lawmakers amended the act to allow pastors and designated security personnel to carry weapons in houses of worship.

The lawyer who filed the lawsuit for Mintz and Schwartz, Amy Bellatoni, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency via an email that the amendment would not apply to her clients.,

“The plaintiffs are staffers who have carried for personal protection and want to continue carrying,” she asserted according to The Times of Israel. “They are not designated security personnel and, therefore, not part of the exemption.”

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.