One realization that has come in the aftermath of the horrific October 7 terror attack on Israel was that the country’s military is spread thin and might not always be there to protect its people. As a result, many Israelis are arming themselves, with encouragement from the country’s government. Citizens are a nation’s last line of defense, and Israelis know that when seconds count, the military could be minutes away. The Wall Street Journal’s Margherita Stancatti reports:
Since the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel, Liran Kaminer has been sleeping with an ax, a knife and a first-aid kit within arm’s reach. He has stashed away empty beer bottles and gasoline for Molotov cocktails. And he has applied for a gun license.
“I am a hippie. I am peaceful, I don’t like this whole gun thing,” said Kaminer, 50, who lives near the village of Giv’at Ada in the coastal plains of central Israel. “But if the army cannot protect me, I have to protect myself.”
Many Israelis who never thought about owning a weapon are now applying for one. Israel’s right-wing government is encouraging civilians to arm themselves and relaxing rules to make it easier to own one. Across the country, volunteers are forming self-defense units after the Hamas attacks killed 1,200 Israelis in communities along its southern border, took the army by surprise and left civilians helpless for hours.
Applications for a gun license have gone up 600% since the attack, a huge increase in a country where there are strict gun-control laws. It is a trend that reflects the deep anxiety over personal safety in the wake of the attacks and of the army’s failure to protect Israeli civilians that day.
“Weapons in the right hands save lives,” said Itamar Ben-Gvir, the country’s minister of national security, who has made the arming of Israeli Jews his flagship policy. Recently, he took part in the distribution of rifles to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, where violence by settlers against Palestinians has surged.
Action Line: For better or worse, America’s military is also spread thin. Forces are based around the globe. American citizens should consider their own safety and learn a lesson from the Israelis about self-reliance. Get your gun and your training now. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
