Now the NRA Wants to Arm Israeli Civilians https://t.co/vEXki0GNtw via @motherjones
— Denise Ingram (@leclemot) October 20, 2015
After a violent cycle of Palestinian attacks and Israeli military crackdowns this month, the death toll in Israel and the Occupied Territories stands at eight Israelis and 44 Palestinians…. Now, a new development has emerged. Encouraged by public officials, Israeli civilians are lining up at gun stores in droves to arm themselves, and the National Rifle Association is cheering them on. Earlier this month, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called on Israeli citizens who own guns to carry them at all times. Last Wednesday, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan eased restrictions on gun permits, allowing more military officers, police officers, and civilians with weapons training to own private handguns. The next day, 8,000 Israelis filed permit requests with the Public Security Ministry—which typically processes about 200 requests per day. Uri David, an Israeli importer of Glocks, told Haaretz that demand for pistols had increased by 50 percent, while gun shop owners have reported similar trends. The NRA is applauding the shift. On Friday, its lobbying wing, known as the Institute for Legislative Action, published an extended article celebrating Israeli citizens and their government for the relaxed policies.
A rational person might look at the continually degrading situation in the Middle East and conclude that the LAST thing anyone needs is MOR GUNZ!!!…and yet that’s exactly what our very own National Rifle Association (NRA) is advocating for. In a part of the world where peace is elusive, hatred runs high, and fear and paranoia even higher, the NRA wants to facilitate the introduction of yet more firepower into an already beyond-volatile mix. Why? Because only “a good Zionist with a gun” can stop “a bad terrorist (read: Arab) with a gun (or a bomb…or both).”
From a purely business point of view, Israel is a target rich environment. The atmosphere of hatred, distrust, and thirst for retribution has created a marketplace for gun manufacturers unlike anything this world has known. Peace, being so elusive in this part of the world, has become something of a misnomer- something everyone talks about it, but no one does anything about because they’re so busy hating and stereotyping The Other as they arm themselves to the teeth. Introduce the easy availability of guns, and what you have is an atmosphere likely to give Wayne LaPierre a spontaneous orgasm.
Granted, with Israel’s compulsory military service requirement, a much higher percentage of the population has received at least a modicum of weapons training, far higher than here in the U.S. An argument can also be made that Israel faces a far more immediate and deadly threat on its borders and has since Day One. It’s understandable that the need for security might closely resemble…oh, I don’t know, America at the advent of the 2nd Amendment? The need for “a well-regulated militia” actually holds some meaning for modern Israel- far more so than here in the Land of the Free and the Home of Proudly Closed-minded Gun Control Foes ©.
The sad thing is that if it appears the NRA is trying to help its gun manufacturing overlords profit off misery, terrorism, and hatred…well, it’s because they are. For the NRA, it’s not about peace, prosperity, or anything save for the bottom lines of gun manufacturers.
It appears Israelis (and the NRA) really haven’t had enough of blood and tears.
