Club Offers Social Events, Firearms Training
Bullets & Bagels, a California-based 501(c)7 social nonprofit, educational, “Jew-ish” shooting club, was founded in 2014 and operates throughout Southern California, from San Diego to Ventura counties. The club boasts approximately 1,000 members and a volunteer staff of approximately 25 individuals. The club is insured, and the name “Bullets & Bagels” is trademarked.
The club is not a casual group of individuals who gather exclusively for shooting but rather has a formal structure and offers a diverse range of activities beyond shooting alone.
Years ago, I had a sudden thought: Were there any formal Jewish shooting clubs in the United States? Conducting a Google search, I discovered nothing, certainly nothing resembling my vision. There were some informal gatherings, small groups of Jewish shooters who meet at a deli after a day at the range. These gatherings were posted on Facebook, and there were a few websites that encouraged Jews to learn to shoot, but there were no formal, ongoing structured Jewish shooting clubs at the time.
During that period, I was a member of a Jewish men’s social club that convened quarterly. At one wine and cheese gathering, I jumped on the microphone and asked about the group’s interest in organizing a shooting event. Immediately, several individuals expressed enthusiasm. So I coordinated my inaugural event, unaware of the necessary details such as a club name, insurance, volunteer staff, club logo, or email list of interested participants.
I was utterly unprepared. I didn’t even know the number of bagels or amount of coffee to order for a group of 50 individuals. Was one bagel per person sufficient, or two? Furthermore, I had no idea how much lox or cream cheese I needed. I lacked any volunteer help during the event. I was so overwhelmed—the event insane—yet I was thrilled with the interest and the positive feedback.
I followed up about a year later, then quarterly, and it became clear there was enough interest to sustain an ongoing formal club.
Bullets & Bagels is not simply a “Jew-ish” shooting club. We are much more than that alone.
The group offers five activities:
1. Indoor kosher breakfast shooting events. All indoor breakfast shooting events feature a guest speaker.
2. Outdoor “all day” shooting events. Includes dynamic shooting experiences.
3. Formal firearm training classes. Our advanced defensive pistol is taught by retired SEAL Team members.
4. Non-shooting classes, such as Stop-the-Bleed, Krav Maga, and Situational Awareness Training, in addition to other interesting, educational lectures. We once featured a talk by one of the founders of the Mossad and a lecture about a little-known Jewish hero, Tibor Rubin z’ll, the Holocaust survivor awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery from the U.S. government.
5. We manage fundraisers, specifically for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and the Jewish National Fund.
All of our volunteer staff of range safety officers and instructors are fully NRA certified.
Lately, a few folks have referred to me as “The Tactical Mohel.” I thought you’d get a kick out of that.
Immediately after Oct. 7, there was a noticeable increase in interest in our group. This surge was particularly prominent within the first year following the atrocity, but the interest has significantly diminished in the past year. The reasons for this decline are unclear, considering the pervasive display of antisemitic sentiment globally, including within our own country.
Each day presents a distressing new account of violence or intimidation directed at Jewish individuals, underscoring the potential for further escalation of such incidents. Perhaps there is burnout from the constant barrage of negativity, or an undercurrent of resignation to the current anti-Jewish environment with a reduction of efforts to confront the growing threats.
Our numbers have risen, though not as dramatically as they did immediately following Oct. 7. It’s hard to tell if the atrocity still affects our current statistics.
As anticipated, numerous new members join due to their perception of a deteriorating hostile environment for Jewish individuals. And they are looking for a safe space where they will not be judged for their interest in learning about the safe operation of firearms for whatever reason.
Our members are not sharing stories about real-life, physical incidents they personally experienced. I have not heard one specific story…thank G-d. It is more a general anxiety, fueled by social media and the local and global situation that informs their decision to join.
American Jews, particularly those who are not Orthodox, have consistently held an antipathy towards firearms and individuals who use them. One would anticipate this antipathy would undergo a significant transformation after Oct. 7. While there has been some change, it has not been overwhelming. We focus on several aspects to alleviate individuals’ apprehensions and dispel misconceptions about individuals who engage in shooting, particularly Jewish individuals who do so. We strive to create an unintimidating, warm, and welcoming atmosphere for all attendees. We provide a delectable kosher breakfast and exclusive access to the range, fostering camaraderie among members through the opportunity for social interaction.
We select instructors who are deeply committed to the Jewish community, possess exceptional patience, and engage warmly with members. Our primary emphasis remains on safety—safety, safety, safety. This unwavering commitment instills confidence and reassurance in our members.
We do not operate as a militant club nor political club. In fact, I consistently advise our attendees against engaging in political discussions, as they are deemed unnecessary and counterproductive. As stated on our website (bulletsandbagels.com), we proudly support the United States, American exceptionalism, the Second Amendment, and Zionism.
The average age of our members is approximately 60. The oldest was a 102-year-old Holocaust survivor who had never shot a gun until she came to us. There are a number of members who have been shooters for years and are only now “coming out of the closet” to the Jewish community and into the Bullets & Bagels family too. Thirty percent of our members are women. We have members from the whole range of Jewish religious affiliations, too, from secular Jews to Orthodox. We have Mizrahi, Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews. There’s nothing unique about an older individual learning to shoot. Their motives, I would assume are the same as younger shooters.
Rabbis from more conservative Jewish movements have been receptive to the concept of Jews defending themselves up to and including firearms training. Rabbis from more progressive Jewish movements historically have not been receptive to such thoughts. I sense some recent movement from the progressives towards an openness to the concept of Jewish empowerment through defensive training, but it is not a dramatic change. And there are some rabbis who feel firearms training is not the correct path. It is difficult to address entrenched views in this regard. How to promote the potential advantages of structured firearm training within the broader Jewish community without alienating those who feel differently is a challenge. Again, I respect the right of people to differ from my opinions.
But my philosophy and objective are to provide an opportunity for Jews and others to acquire and practice the necessary skills in as safe and supportive an environment as possible.