Israel is Arming Its Civilians - Why Aren't We?

RichardPoe.com ^ | March 15, 2002 | Richard Poe

[Richard Poe]

"HOW CAN PRIVATE CITIZENS with guns stop terrorism?"

It is a question I often hear from skeptical radio talk-show hosts – even from many who claim they support gun rights. Inundated as we are with anti-gun propaganda, many well-meaning Americans cannot imagine how guns in private hands might be useful in fighting terror.

The Israelis do not suffer from such confusion. Living with terrorism every day, they know exactly what purpose guns serve. And they are not afraid to use them. We could learn a lot from the Israeli example.

According to a March 7 report in the Washington Times, Israel has issued 60,000 new gun permits to civilians. This will raise the number of guns in the hands of Israeli civilians by at least 25 percent. In a population of roughly 6 million, there are currently 265,000 civilian-owned guns.

"There's no question that weapons in the hands of the public have prevented acts of terror or stopped them while they were in progress," stated Police Inspector-General Shlomo Aharonisky. "Chance passers-by have killed terrorists in the midst of gun attacks."

In 1984, three terrorists opened fire on a Jerusalem crowd with machine guns. Half a dozen shopkeepers and pedestrians drew weapons and returned fire.

One terrorist was shot dead by a jewelry store proprietor. The other two fled and were later captured.

"We didn’t expect to find armed civilians," one of the gunmen later admitted.

Last week, on March 5, a terrorist opened fire on a wedding party in a Tel Aviv restaurant. When his M-16 jammed, he charged the crowd with a knife. Three people were killed and 31 wounded.

Forty-six-year-old shoe salesman William Hazan was stabbed in the back. He drew a gun and shot the terrorist, wounding him. Police then arrived and finished the job.

In my last column, I noted that U.S. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge opposes arming airline pilots. "Where do you stop?" he asked in a March 4 interview in USA Today. If we arm pilots, then railroad engineers and bus drivers will want to arm themselves too, said Ridge.

Evidently, the idea of pistol-packing bus drivers scares some of our leaders. It doesn’t scare the Israelis. "One-third of [Israel’s] 6,000 bus drivers… carry personal weapons to work," reports the Washington Times.

But what if some trigger-happy civilian accidentally kills the wrong person?

That risk has to be accepted, said a retired police officer, in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot.

Won’t looser licensing restrictions make it easier for criminals to get weapons?

"Every criminal who wants a weapon already has one," said another retired Israeli police officer in a radio interview.

End of argument. In two sentences, the most cherished dogmas of anti-gun groups such as the Brady Campaign and Gun Industry Watch have been dismissed.

The Israelis are not smarter or braver than we are. They are simply more realistic.

Those Americans who still believe they can sit out the war in front of their television sets, waiting for the government to save them, need to pay closer attention to what our government is actually doing.

In the hysteria following the 9-11 attacks, the number of federal air marshals was raised from less than 50 to about 1,000. That’s a hefty increase, but far short of the number needed to guard 35,000 flights per day.

Some pilots have already noticed a cutback in the number of on-flight air marshals, according to the March 5 Washington Post.

Phillip Beal, chairman of the Allied Pilots Association’s cockpit defense committee, cites sources in the FBI and Federal Aviation Administration who told him that they are having trouble retaining new air marshals. "It’s an incredibly boring job, waiting for something to happen," Beal explains.

The Transportation Security Administration vows it will put more marshals in the air. But Beal points out that putting one marshal on every flight would require a force the size of the U.S. Marine Corps and would cost almost $10 billion.

In short, it’s not going to happen. And even if it did, it would still leave our buses and trains unguarded.

In 1999, 774 million people made long-distance bus trips, and 337 million rode Amtrak and commuter rail lines. Who will guard these passengers? An army of federal bus and train marshals perhaps?

Not likely.

To the Israelis’ credit, anti-gun crusaders such as Rosie O’Donnell and Sarah Brady have made no impact in their country. No one cares what they say. No one listens.

It is time we Americans stopped listening too.
_______________________________
Richard Poe is a New-York-Times bestselling author and cyberjournalist. His latest book is The Seven Myths of Gun Control.

[meenie]

Annie Oakley doesn't count?

[SJackson]

Many women on our American frontier knew how to shoot. Not as well as the men but they still knew how.

Prove that, chauvinist.

[SJackson]

There was a /humor something in 22

[gwynapnudd]

This is a great policy. My only question is what took them so long?

[CHICAGOFARMER]

Mrs Ruth Price DIED HARD. NO ONE SHOULD EVER HAVE TO GO WITHOUT A FIGHTING CHANCE.

Other women who know how Mrs. Price was lied too by the government false statements that 911 will protect you.

* Women who defend their sons daughters and husbands *

http://www.sas-aim.org/home.htm

Bad guys don't live by the rules. Here is Mrs. Ruth Price story and I would think that you would agree she disagrees with this leftist extremist, anti-gun views. Here is Mrs. Price story. Another disarmed voice.

Mrs. Price speaks directly to the gun control extremists with a powerful message. Requires Audio setup, downloads in 30 seconds, however, well worth your wait for this message.

Mrs. Price story

If you have trouble with this load, cut and paste to URL line.

http://www.geekswithguns.com/audio/911_call_no_address.ram

Next Picture from Mother's of the past, speaking to soccer moms of today.

First Million Mom March

Have we forgotten already.

Women's talk about self defense.

From a woman's point of view

The best news link on the planet for self defense.

www.keepandbeararms.com

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Who needs protection? The women of our lives, and our children, the poor who have little police protection, our grandparents, and parents, our wife, and our daughters need the right to self-defense at home and on the street. 2.2 million felons in jail, 3.5 million felons on probation, and 14 million drug abusers looking for their next fix. Do you think they are living in your city? Guns save lives. Gun free zones are killing zones for criminals. Most anti gun liberals are one mugging away from conservative views.

Dail 911 and die is more than a cute saying. It is life or death.

The actual 911 call is Mrs Price voice. Take this recording to every MMM and anti gun rally in the nation. Perhaps the MMM anti guns will be the next Mrs Price.

Another Mrs Price story in Columbus OHIO -- Dialed 911 and Died.

Mrs. Turner's story. Restraining orders, Killer telling police he was going to kill her, begging for life for several minutes, nor did phone call to 911 save this woman's life.

Mrs. Turner's story

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b28997102ad.htm

What is your self defense plan when the bad guy shows up at your door?

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[in the Arena]

ping

[Michael2001]

Bump. Funny that this I have not heard this mentioned in the mainstream news...

[backhoe]

Funny that this I have not heard this mentioned in the mainstream news...

A few years ago- I think it was during the impeachment of the leader of The Most Ethical Administration in All Recorded History- Reed Irvine of AIM said,

"If the press doesn't like a story, they just won't talk about it...."

[Michael2001]

This story obviously doesn't fit with their agenda.

[Joe Brower]

Thanks for the flag.

It's obvious from this sort of "controversy" that the self-anointed demagogues of our government, who supposedly "rule by our consent", are stuck on the horns of a self-made dilemma: They know what the solution is, that is, arming pilots. Yet, to advocate this is to contradict their standing de facto policy that "common folk" are incapably of properly acting in their own behalf and need government-authorized "professionals" to take care of us. This leads directly to these absurd contradictions between stated policy and raw common sense.

[in the Arena]

Well said Joe...

[CARepubGal]

Excellent post BANG!

[supercat]

These fools like Gov Ridge are more afraid of a gun in the hands of a good guy than they are of riding a jetliner into a building.

Liberals seek to destroy civilization so they can come out on top of the rubble. Their fear is not that criminals might get guns (since that actually helps their cause) but rather that law-abiding citizens might protect civilization from the crooks.

[blackie]

Stop the attacks on our God given Rights by the extreme wacko left !!

Guns Save Lives !!

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

The Right Of The People To Keep And Bear Arms Shall Not Be Infringed !!

An Armed Citizen, Is A Safe Citizen !!

No Guns, No Rights !!

Molon Labe !!

[dennisw]

Israel must widen gun ownership and especially rifle ownership. Plus Israelis must be allowed to own more than one. These Israeli gun laws are way too restrictive and maybe a socialist holdover.

[SJackson]

As I've mentioned on many other threads gun laws in Israel are despicable, NOBODY is armed, Israel just has more nobodys (vets) than we do. Of the nations who've followed the British tradition, I guess they're the best, but they suck.

I've decided not to discuss it much. Post posters seem to think Israel allows a uzi on every corner (right, one pistol if you're a retired officer), but the armed citizens in Israel are a POSITIVE example for America, so while I HATE Israels gun laws, they are DESPICABLE (I'm not even going to link them here), the illusion of the armed Israeli is important, it's no different than the FACT of the armed settler, and it serves a purpose.

Sorry for shouting. Our founders, the first, speach, the second, the right to bear arms, no one can convince me that that doesn't include the right to defence which, like all our rights, stems from God.

[SJackson]

Thanks for bumping this old, tired thread.

[Khepera]

Everyone over the age of 16 should own a gun in america the land of the free and the home of the brave. The 2nd amendment just repeats that idea.

[Dinsdale]

Let every CCW holder carry his weapon anywhere anytime period, even on airlines.

I'd ammend that to say any weapon and ammunition combo that has been shown to be a minimal risk to an airplane in flight. But that is just a quibble. No jacketed 44 mags on any plane I'm on please.