Georgia gun store owners say more Jewish Americans buying guns amid Israel-Hamas war

More and more Jewish Americans are heading to gun stores. Many leaders in Jewish communities say antisemitism has been rising in recent years and has spiked in the weeks since the Hamas terror attacks.

FOX 5 spoke with some members of the Georgia Jewish community who say they’re buying guns for the first time to keep their families safe.

Sam Landesman never thought he’d buy a gun.

Gun shop employees say they are seeing an uptick in the amount of Jewish Americans coming in to purchase their first gun amid the Israel-Hamas war.

"That’s the last thing I’d want to own is a firearm," Landesman said.

But Landesman, like others he knows, fears antisemitism abroad and at home in Georgia.

"I feel like I need to be ready to protect myself and protect my family," Landesman explained to FOX 5.

More Jewish Americans appear to be buying guns as the war intensifies between Israel and Hamas, and anti-Jewish hostilities boil over here in the U.S.

Tood Whiddon, assistant manager with Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, said he's witnessing the trend firsthand.

Gun shop employees say they are seeing an uptick in the amount of Jewish Americans coming in to purchase their first gun amid the Israel-Hamas war.

"We are seeing Jewish customers buying their first guns," Whiddon said. "Overall, we’re seeing about a 30-percent increase in business." 

State Rep. Esther Panitch, (D) 51, says antisemitism has been rising in recent years on the right and the left and has spiked since the Hamas terror attack a few weeks ago.

"It’s a dark and dangerous time for Jews right now," Panitch, who is the only Jewish American lawmaker in the Georgia legislature, said.

"I’ve heard from people in the community who are afraid who have talked about other types of self-defense, including firearms," Panitch said. "I have upgraded my weapons training as a result of what’s going on."