So far, a total of four rabbis in the Colorado Springs area have accepted the offer of AR-15s, Mel Bernstein, the Jewish owner of Dragon Arms, told Fox News. A fifth rabbi reportedly opted for a handgun.
"There's a fire in a synagogue, what do you grab? You grab a fire extinguisher, right?" Bernstein told news station KOAA. "Let's say somebody comes in and starts shooting everybody. What are you going to grab? You grab your AR-15 or a rifle or a handgun."
"I don't really like what's going on in the country, and I'm offering free AR-15 rifles with two magazines and a hundred bullets [to rabbis]," he added.
In addition to the weaponry, Bernstein is also offering up some complimentary training, according to the New York Post. However, before any firearms are forked over, interested religious leaders must pass a background check.
Bernstein told local station KRDO that the rifles he's giving away are worth an estimated $650 each.
The gun shop owner explained to Fox News that he'd received calls from interested rabbis around the country, but he'd go broke if he gave away firearms to every American rabbi who asked. "I'd be out of business," he told the outlet.
Bernstein's move comes after US President Donald Trump suggested that the outcome of the October 27 shooting would've been different had an armed security guard been present.