Israel war: Civilian gun ownership could have stalled Hamas violence

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Israel Mixed City Violence
Jews walk through the street with guns in the mixed Arab-Jewish town of Lod, central Israel, Friday, May 28, 2021, in the wake of clashes between the two groups. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Israel war: Civilian gun ownership could have stalled Hamas violence

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With fighting in south Israel ramping up, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that the Firearm Licensing Division is loosening its restrictions on gun ownership by simplifying its application process and shortening wait times to just one week. This newfound expediency in gun ownership will allow more Israelis to defend themselves.

The Israel-Hamas war, taking place in one of the most violent regions of the world, is showing how less gun control, not more, is the key to preserving life and personal safety.

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Despite Israel being surrounded by hostile states and having to deal with violent incursions by the likes of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups, only around 2% of Israel’s 9.73 million population owns a firearm. Compared to the United States’s 30%, this is microscopic — especially during an all-out war within Israel’s borders.

Following Ukraine’s 2022 law that armed its citizenry and encouraged firearm use against the invading Russian forces, Israel’s government is making it easier for its people to arm themselves.

After the Hamas massacre in early October, Israeli officials have been encouraging citizens to arm up to stand guard against similar attacks. Who knows how many people could have been saved — and how many terrorists sent to their maker — if Israelis had the means to defend themselves against a force hell-bent on seeing them dead?

In the face of danger, Israelis have risen and banded together in volunteer security forces to protect families from Hamas raids. Their defensive use of firearms has prevented hundreds of innocent civilians from being killed or taken hostage.

Social media is flooded with graphic proof that armed populaces work. One video shows Israelis successfully resisting Islamists attempting to raze a civilian settlement. The militants didn’t survive the ordeal. Another shows armed “community guards” defending a residency from more terrorists. Even an elderly former paratrooper defeated multiple assailants who came to his home.

Gun ownership could have even deterred Hamas from terrorizing countless noncombatants, if only Palestinians could defend themselves.

There hasn’t been an election in the Palestinian territories since Hamas won a plurality of parliamentary seats in 2006. Since then, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been under the group’s violent control.

Like in every other totalitarian regime, it is illegal for Gaza residents to own firearms. Apart from Hamas, no one is allowed to own or operate firearms — even under the threat of Israeli raids. Even with a growing demand for black market “illegal” guns, Hamas has been ruthless in enforcing its decrees on an absolutely defenseless populace.

The terrorist group is known to kill the very people it purports to represent — even innocents in hospitals. Hamas has executed dozens of Palestinians who allegedly collaborated with the Israelis. Hamas is also well known for carrying out human rights abuses, using children as human shields, and outfitting civilian buildings such as schools and apartments with military equipment. They’ve started using kidnapped Israeli children as body shields as well.

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No one in Hamas-controlled territory can resist such atrocities. Why? They’re not armed. If they spoke out, they’d be quickly dispatched in front of a firing squad. Hamas understands the power of an armed populace, and so does Israel. That’s why the former withholds that right, while the latter is encouraging it to save lives.

In an effort to restrict American gun ownership, President Joe Biden once blurted, “Who needs a clip that can hold 100 rounds?” His misunderstanding of gun terms aside, clearly, Israelis defending their homeland and Palestinians tortured by Hamas need that kind of firepower. Less gun control saves lives, Mr. President, not more.

Connor Vasile is a law student and Young Voices contributor who writes on American politics and economics. You can find him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @connor_vasile.

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