Good Lord.

Israelis – forever living on the edge of annihilation. Enemies to the east, north, and south with the Mediterranean protecting their west. It’s a land of legendary soldiers names like Ariel Sharon and Moshe Dayan. Their military is known for bold feats of astonishing derring-do – like the Raid on Entebbe (during which the country’s current prime minister lost his own brother). And, of course, the storied Mossad operatives.

A land whose existence is so fraught with danger, it’s had military conscription as part of citizenship since its very founding.

Since Israel’s foundation in 1948, universal military conscription has been a central pillar of national defense—and national identity. Young men and women have served side by side in what has been a major rite of passage for generations of Israelis. That may be about to change.

Everyone – with the exception of Orthodox Jews (and that winked at exemption has been taking a beating) – serves for a minimum period.

The State of Israel requires every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 who is Jewish, Druze or Circassian to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (although there are some notable exceptions). Other Israeli Arabs, religious women, married individuals, and those deemed unfit medically or mentally are exempt from compulsory military service. Regardless of those exemptions, many of those exempt from military service do volunteer to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Once enlisted, men are expected to serve for a minimum of 32 months and women are expected to serve for a minimum of 24 months.

The majority of citizens are familiar with firearms, everyone lives in a country surrounded by enemies, which gives one – myself included – the impression that Israel is bristling with bullets waiting to be unleashed from kitchen to kibbutz. Why would anyone screw with these people, as they all must be armed to the teeth, and every last one of them knows how to use what they have?

Over the past few days, that assumption has given rise to a question I saw repeatedly asked amongst the ghastliness in the tweets on X: WHY WASN’T ANYONE FIRING BACK?

Well, knock me over with a feather.

Israel has some of the strictest gun control laws I’ve ever seen. A miniscule number of people had anything to fight back with.

This explains a lot about what happened yesterday tactically, as well as a good part of the why and where.

As the 2023 Israel-Hamas war continued into its third day, and with the widely distributed and traumatic images of Hamas terrorists operating freely inside Israel fresh in their minds, some citizens began campaigns for a loosening of Israel’s gun ownership laws, to allow more residents to bear personal arms.

Relaxing Israel’s restrictive gun license laws has long been championed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, as well as some libertarian-leaning right-wing politicians, but it is an issue that has not gained much traction, despite occasional reports of high-level discussions on the issue.

Gun control in Israel is relatively strict, and firearm licenses are generally only granted to those who can show a need for extra security in their line of work or daily life. Meaning, one of the key criteria for a private citizen to receive permission to own a gun is where they live.

…In Israel, the usual personal weapon allowed are pistols with a limit of 50 rounds of ammunition. To qualify, one must be of a certain age, depending on IDF service, live or work in an area that demands extra security, not have a criminal record, and pass a training course and background check, among other things.

Another requirement is enough Hebrew-language proficiency “in a way that will allow questioning, understanding instructions and managing registration as required,” according to a qualifications calculator on the website of the National Security Ministry, which manages gun license registration.

So, you have to “show a NEED” and if you get permission, you can only get a pistol with 50 rounds.

Good Lord.

Israelis are begging for change.

YA THINK?

We all wish that our Israeli government could be there to protect us, but they cannot – we relearned that again this past weekend. Imagine if 1 of every 3 adult civilians near the border were armed? There would potentially be no rapes, no kidnappings, and a much lower murder… pic.twitter.com/8kg7eDA7O2

— Yoel Israel (@YoelTIsrael) October 9, 2023

There would potentially be no rapes, no kidnappings, and a much lower murder count of innocent Jews. We would not be at active war and not have witnessed the worst day in Jewish history since the Holocaust.

Right now families, communities, and organizations are stepping up to help out because the Israeli government cannot.

As individuals and families, we are most capable of protecting ourselves from enemies in Gaza and in Israel.

Therefore it is imperative that the Israeli government changes the laws immediately and allows citizens (not just those who served in combat) to be able to carry a weapon.

It saves lives and helps families feel safe.

And, again, people like me are blown away by the fact those settlers in the southern part of the country stood zero chance of defending themselves.

It’s called a “soft target” and you can bet your bottom dollar Hamas knew exactly what Israeli gun laws were.

None of this is new. There has been pressure on the government since last winter, with violence on the rise against Israeli citizens, and they promised then to “speed things up.”

…He points to where outside the synagogue a Palestinian gunman killed his son and daughter-in-law, Eli and Natali Mazrahi, after they had gone downstairs on hearing gunshots.

“The man was standing at the crossroad and fired in all directions. It was possible that my son was there,” Shimon says.

“It’s difficult, it’s difficult. It’s as if I don’t live in reality,” he adds.

“I don’t have a day or night. I can’t eat. I don’t feel anything.”

…Following the January attack, Mr Ben-Gvir pledged to drastically speed up the issuing of gun permits, from around 2,000 to 10,000 a month, reducing the waiting time from six to eight months to two or three.

Israeli gun ownership is low at about 2% of the population. It compares to about 30% of the population owning a gun in the US.

Usually citizens are allowed to hold a pistol and a limit of 50 bullets.

Nothing like closing the barn door after the horse is out or your people slaughtered in their beds for speeding up a little change. Israel’s National Security Minister has grudgingly admitted – with a war and all that – maybe his people need to be able to protect themselves, so he’s loosened up the regulations somewhat…

BREAKING: Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir just axed a ton of #guncontrol for the security of their free state.

TRANSLATION BELOW ⤵️

Today I directed the Firearms Licensing Division to go on an emergency operation, in order to allow as many citizens as… https://t.co/HT0LmR3H1Q

— Aidan Johnston (@RealGunLobbyist) October 8, 2023

…and would appreciate it if if “as many citizens as possible ” would get themselves armed…like, stat.

He’s even upped the allowable bullets from 50 to 100.

Israel eases gun laws to arm 'as many citizens as possible' after terrorist attack
Here’s an example of why having an armed civilian population is a direct benefit to your country’s sovereignty and security. 💯 👇👇👇

Original tweet from Israel's Minister of National Security… https://t.co/aFNsqjYQSb pic.twitter.com/7eRtctR2TT

— CCFR/CCDAF (@CCFR_CCDAF) October 10, 2023

THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHY WE HAVE A SECOND AMENDMENT

🎬: https://t.co/n2MQV5UtPu There's no such thing as the "Right to Feel Safe" in the constitution. It doesn't exist; it's a made-up right by people who don't understand the constitution.

You see, Israel doesn't have a Second Amendment, and they are very restrictive when it… pic.twitter.com/vbRFlhlWzd

— Colion Noir (@MrColionNoir) October 9, 2023

And don’t you all ever forget it.

It’s a scary world out there with scary, twisted people.

You know that they killed civilians at a music festival from those parachutes

— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) October 10, 2023

It’s too late for Israelis to do-over and save anyone from the past 3 days. Maybe they can stave off the worst, God forbid, if it should come on foot to their neighborhoods again.

But it takes time to purchase a weapon. This won’t magically happen overnight. You have to be able to find a weapon to purchase, and the rounds to put through it.

And enough rounds if you need them. Like, if there were 51 terrorists on the lawn instead of the 50 the government would let you wax with your bullet allowance.

Then…does the government rescind it all when the coast clears of Hamas savages?

THIS IS WHY WE HAVE A SECOND AMENDMENT THAT SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED

This is exactly why.

Helluva lesson.