'Scared' Sikhs mulling gun ownership after Wisconsin Gurudwara shooting

Washington, Aug. 22 (ANI): The Sikh community in the United States is mulling over the option of carrying guns for their protection after the Wisconsin Gurudwara shooting.

The horrific August 5 shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in which Wade Michael Page opened fire on Sikhs in the gurudwara for no apparent reason, has rattled Sikhs.

According to Fox News, although the religion teaches them to be tolerant and perform good deeds, some believe arming themselves could be the best way to protect themselves from hate crimes that have too frequently been perpetrated by attackers who mistake them for Muslims.

"I think that being able to legally obtain and carry a gun is the best thing any Sikh can do, especially after 9/11 where there have been over 800 documented cases of harassment and violence against us," Sim J. Singh, a practicing Sikh and Florida-based law clerk who carries a concealed handgun for protection, told FoxNews.com.

At a news conference after the shooting, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a passionate supporter of gun control, appeared with several Sikh leaders and called for stricter gun laws to stop such attacks in the future, the report said.

"Every day 34 Americans are murdered with guns," Bloomberg said during the press conference with Sikh leaders, adding: "The fact that criminals, terrorists and other mentally ill people have access to guns is a national crisis."

According to the report, Sikhs are split over the issue of gun ownership, and some say that the Wisconsin tragedy has made them consider getting a permit to carry a gun for self-defense.

"The way the world is changing, I think I need to think about carrying a gun now," Rajwinder Singh, the President of a Sikh Temple in Las Vegas, told FoxNews.com.

"Our prophet said we should protect ourselves, and protect those who cannot defend themselves. He made sure that every [Sikh man] should carry a weapon," the report quoted Rajwinder Singh, as saying said.

Still, some Sikhs support stricter gun laws in the hope that it will prevent dangerous people from getting guns, the report added. (ANI)