It’s a little known fact: Israel has strict gun control laws and very few licensed concealed carriers. According to the Times of Israel, only 2.5 percent of the population can legally carry a firearm. (Long gun open carry is restricted to members of the IDF.) Well, that’s how it was before the recent stabbing attacks on the populace smack dab in the middle of the country. “There’s no doubt that recent events show that every citizen is now a potential target for shooting or stabbing and that’s why I have applied for a license to own a pistol,” Dotan Cohen, a 40-year-old accountant who lives near Gan Shmuel, where a recent attack occurred, told FoxNews.com . . .
“When I spoke to the local council this morning about my application, they told me they are overwhelmed with the number of people seeking to receive a license to carry a gun.” How overwhelmed?
Israel’s public security ministry has been deluged with more than 8,000 gun license requests per day over the past two weeks, a huge increase over its regular 150 license requests per day. Tel Aviv gun dealer Yariv Ben Yehuda told The Marker sales are up 30 percent, and customers also have cleaned the shelves of pepper spray . . .
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat urged people with a firearms license to carry their weapons instead of keeping them at home under lock and key.
“One advantage that Israel has is that there are quite a few ex-members of military units with operational combat experience,” Barkat told his citizens. “Possessing weapons increases the confidence of residents, who know that in addition to police, there are many people who are not afraid to intervene. If we look at the statistics in Jerusalem and elsewhere, we see that aside from the police, civilians carrying weapons have foiled terror attacks. They will increase the likelihood of fast intervention.”
Looks like there’s been a sea change in Israel’s gun control regime. And I guess you could say that a gun control proponent is just someone who isn’t all that worried about getting stabbed at random. In fact, I wonder what would happen in New York City if Islamic extremists went all stabby on the local populace.
[h/t RC]