Israel Eases Guns Restrictions Amidst Security Failures

“An emergency operation, in order to allow as many citizens as possible to arm themselves.”

In the wake of the Hamas terrorist organization's murderous attacks on Israel, the country's government is admitting—not for the first time—that even Israel's extensive security apparatus can't be everywhere to protect everyone. Under the pressure of bloody events, officials are again making it easier for civilians to acquire and carry firearms for self-defense.

"Today I directed the Firearms Licensing Division to go on an emergency operation, in order to allow as many citizens as possible to arm themselves," announced National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. "The plan will take effect within 24 hours."

By no means does the order eliminate the country's tight restrictions on guns. But it's an acknowledgment that too many Israelis were caught with limited access to the means of self-defense when Hamas terrorists crossed the border from Gaza and attacked civilians.

Relying On a Steel Door

"The terrorists were moving from one house to another trying to kill us," Yogev Gamari told The Telegraph. "They knocked on our doors and pretended to be Israeli soldiers. We locked our house. We stayed in our safe room. It has a steel door and very thick bullet-proof walls – it is only this that has kept us safe from death."

One of his friends "had a gun and he managed to escape and join other men who were trying to defend our village," Gamari added. That friend wasn't alone among the civilian population as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were caught flat-footed and scrambled to catch up with events.

"With the IDF's division headquarters under attack, it was almost impossible for the chief of staff in Tel Aviv to find out what was going on or how to respond in those crucial early hours of the assault," Yaakov Katz wrote for The Free Press. "This is why there are so many amazing stories of brave reservists and civilians who heard the gunfire, grabbed a weapon, and drove down south, going house-to-house to save lives. They just went on their own, without any air support."

"Trained Citizens Who Hold Weapons…Contribute to the Feeling of Security"

This is actually the second time this year that Israel's government loosened gun rules in response to attacks on the public.

"Israel's security cabinet has approved measures to make it easier for Israelis to carry guns after two separate attacks by Palestinians in Jerusalem over the past two days," the BBC reported in January.

That followed an earlier reform allowing more civilians to carry defensive weapons in 2018.

"Trained citizens who hold weapons in the public sphere contribute to the feeling of security," then-Security Minister Gilad Erdan said at the time. "They are an important line of defense against 'lone wolf' actions and are used in a sense as a temporary force multiplier, thereby strengthening public safety."

As sophisticated as Israel's security apparatus is, it's not omnipotent. The failures of intelligence services and military forces have led to recrimination and will undoubtedly result in changes. But human institutions are flawed and even the best are vulnerable to enemies capable of probing for weaknesses and planning around them. That's an ongoing problem for officials challenged with protecting the public from criminals and terrorists. Then-Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble wrestled with that dilemma after a 2013 terrorist attack at the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya.

"Is An Armed Citizenry More Necessary Now?"

"Societies have to think about how they're going to approach the problem," Noble told ABC News. "One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure that in order to get into the soft target you're going to have to pass through extraordinary security."

"You have to ask yourself, 'Is an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past with an evolving threat of terrorism?' This is something that has to be discussed," Noble added.

Israel is making a choice now after Hamas terrorists penetrated the "extraordinary security" around Gaza with explosives, boats, and paragliders. With that barrier penetrated, too many Israelis proved to be soft targets for assailants who butchered their way through communities.

Ukraine made similar choices after Russia invaded at the beginning of 2022, putting many civilians on the front lines in their own homes.

"We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. "Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities."

Ukrainians anticipated that necessity, flocking to arm themselves in the days before Russian troops crossed the border.

"Gun shops have sold out of some weapons, such as AR-10 and AR-15 assault rifles," The Guardian reported the day before war began. "With a state of emergency set to be unveiled, the country's parliament approved a draft law that gives Ukrainians permission to carry firearms," the story added. "Previously they were forbidden from leaving home with lethal weapons."

Polling later found that 58 percent of Ukrainians supported wider civilian gun ownership. Before his death early this year in a helicopter crash, then-Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky planned further efforts to meet that demand.

"Certainly, for protection of their homes, civilians should be allowed to use arms," Monastyrsky said.

Either Victims or Survivors

The hard truth is, no matter how well-funded and trained law enforcement agencies and military forces may be, they're imperfect. The only people guaranteed to be at the site of any attack are the perpetrators and those positioned to be either victims or survivors. If those people don't have the means to defend themselves and are stuck waiting for rescue, they're more likely to be relegated to the victim category than to emerge as survivors.

That's not to say that personal arms are a full substitute for a professional security apparatus. But, likewise, that security apparatus is little comfort when an individual faces an attacker on the street or at home, far from those tasked with protective duties. The best defense at that moment is one that individuals can offer on their own, after all barriers and institutional protections have been penetrated.

Best wishes to the people of Israel, and elsewhere, who have suffered threats in the past, face them now, and will experience them in the future. All people have an absolute right to defend themselves and that right, and access to the means to exercise it, should be respected by law everywhere.