Those who needed more conviction that the proliferation of personal weapons in the public sphere is only detrimental to our security, who will watch a shocking video in which MK Ben Gvir pulled out a gun in a parking lot in the heart of Tel Aviv, following a verbal quarrel with Arab security guards.
Those who needed more conviction that the proliferation of personal weapons in the public sphere is only detrimental to our security, who will watch a shocking video in which MK Ben Gvir pulled out a gun in a parking lot in the heart of Tel Aviv, following a verbal quarrel with Arab security guards
For those who managed to forget, A similar incident ended in 2019 with the death of Ofir Hasdai in a parking lot in Ramla by gunfire with a license held by Victor Katan.
MK Itamar Ben Gvir confronted an Arab security guard – and pulled out a gun. Ben Gvir: “They cursed and threatened to hit me” | Documentation@ZeevKam @ittaishick pic.twitter.com/Sjwi6nItkl
– News here (@kann_news) December 22, 2021
The State of Israel is at a crossroads in its attitude toward licensing weapons: Is it part of a citizen’s personal freedom, similar to the situation in the United States, or is it required only in exceptional cases where a person is at risk due to his job or place of residence. Regulations for the granting of a private firearms license after years in which this decision was made by the Minister.
Ben Gvir may be claiming self-defense against the “Arabs” who threatened him. But anyone who watches the video and sees Ben Gvir advancing toward the security guards with a gun drawn, understands that self-defense was not really there and that it was a racist and dangerous incident on Ben Gvir’s part.
The problem is that this is how Ben Gvir and many other Knesset members would like our country to look – Full of armed Jews who will rush to pull out weapons in front of Arabs who threaten them and replace the police in dealing with riots and other threats.
Ben Gvir claims self-defense from the “Arabs” who threatened him. But a viewer who sees him advancing towards the security guards with a gun drawn, realizes that self-defense was not there and that it is a racist and dangerous incident on his part
Last week, a meeting was held in the Knesset’s Internal Security Committee, which dealt with “police conclusions following Operation The Wall Guard.” Much of the yeshiva was devoted to the cries of MKs, mayors and concerned citizens for the establishment of armed militias in the mixed cities.
MK Amir Ohana explained that armed civilians are a “force multiplier” for the security authorities and suggested “that we expand the stockpile of weapons.” Orit Struck supported the “multiplication of civilian power,” and the committee’s chairman, MK Meirav Ben-Ari, spoke about building a “national guard.”
When the CEO of the Avraham Initiatives organization, Thabet Abu Ras, who dared to wonder in the debate about which “nationality” is the same armed “national guard”, MK Ben-Ari replied: “Are you enlisting in the army? You are welcome to join the National Guard. “
Beyond the racist aspect, the proliferation of weapons in the public sphere also has a direct impact on the security of women. In the State of Israel, about 20 women are murdered every year, about a third of them are shot. In 2020, 12 women were killed by firearms, with 5 cases being licensed firearms.
To minister @ giladerdan1 Recommends reconsidering the initiative to carry security weapons outside of work hours and requiring security guards to deposit weapons at the business. Data published by the “Gun on the Kitchen Table” initiative @GunFreeHome Showed that weapons in the hands of security guards hardly helped in the fight against terrorist attacks but did help in the murder of women https://t.co/FbzBWLmBW1
– Zehava Galon (@zehavagalon) January 18, 2020
In addition, the proliferation of weapons is a significant catalyst for suicides in the general population and among adolescents and young men in particular.. According to the National Council for Suicide Prevention, 11% of all suicides use firearms.
The proliferation of weapons in the public sphere also has a direct impact on the security of women. In Israel, about 20 women are murdered every year, about a third of them by shooting. In 2020, 12 women were killed by firearms, in 5 cases licensed firearms
In light of this, one has to ask where does this deep conviction come from, that in order to deal with violence and public order one needs more armed people? Unfortunately, the Department of Homeland Security has been leading this theory for several years.
It began in 2018 when Minister Gilad Ardan decided to fundamentally change the concept of eligibility for weapons in the State of Israel. From criteria based on “necessity”, ie a real and proven need for a weapon that a person has due to his residence or work, we moved to the criterion of “competence” – anyone who has undergone combat training in his life, even if 50 years ago, is entitled to apply for a weapon license. Thus, in one step, the circle of those entitled to apply for a weapon was expanded by half a million people.
This theory, led by the Ministry of Homeland Security, has no basis In the data and the variety of studies on the subject on behalf of inter-ministerial committees, reports of the State Comptroller, positions of government ministries and more.
It should be said unequivocally: The solution to addressing our sense of personal security is not by arming civilians and flooding the streets with private weapons, Except through the strengthening of the police with skilled manpower, the expansion of first readings by therapeutic elements, and the determined and uncompromising collection of illegal weapons.
If we do not want to see a space where armed people roam the streets and do justice to themselves, and disputes over parking or a club end in the retrieval of weapons – we need to change policies, reduce private weapons and leave the job of dealing with security to those who are authorized to do so.
In 2018, when Minister Arden decided to change the perception of gun eligibility in the country. From criteria based on “necessity”, a real and proven need for weapons due to residence or work, we moved to the criterion of “competence”
Following a petition by the “Gun on the Kitchen Table” coalition, the Minister of Internal Security is obliged for the first time to bring the criteria for licensing private weapons to the approval of the Knesset Interior Committee. It is to be hoped that the government of change and the minister on its behalf will present a paradigm shift to the committee, include much more limited criteria and also consider the risks that weapons pose to the general public, especially Arabs, women and those living in violent homes. It’s time to move on from the “competency” rules to the “necessity” rules.
The Ministry of Homeland Security in response to HCJ 8451/18 in a petition filed by the coalition against it states that there are about 9000 “unarmed” security guards…
Posted by The Gun on the Kitchen Table on Sunday, November 7, 2021