A recent video on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows Israeli officials handing out what appear to be M-4 or similar versions of the American M-16 type rifle to non-uniformed Israelis. Israel suffered thousands of casualties in the October 7 raid/invasion and massacres conducted by Hamas. The raid showed how vulnerable a disarmed population is against lightly armed and armored adversaries. The Israeli government had long practiced a staple of socialist regimes: disarm the population to enforce a doctrine of a monopoly of force by the government.
This renders the population vulnerable to the types of raid conducted by Hamas or to mass murder in gun free zones such as seen in the United States, France, Russia, or all over the globe. If there are locally armed populations, they can reduce casualties tremendously, through armed defense. Their capability is multiplied if they are backed up by quick response forces, either military or police.
At the time of the successful Hamas raid into Israel, less than 2% of the Israeli population had access to small arms. It has been reported 148,000 Israelis had permits to carry. The population or Israel has been reported at 9.7 million. 148,000 Israelis are 1.5% of the Israeli population.
In one account, published on X, formerly known as Twitter, an Israeli special forces officer, who was allowed to have a Glock 19 and some spare magazines, in his home, killed 10-14 Hamas attackers. Many, many of the other members of his kibbutz were killed or taken hostage. At about 10:18 minute into the video, his wife says:
My husband is a big hero. He's a big hero and we're lucky. It's hard for me to say it. Because Many of the homes, many of the families, they didn't have a gun or a weapon with which to protect themselves.
We were lucky. Maybe a little destiny. Maybe some providence. I'm not religious, but maybe.
According to research done by John Lott, 94% of mass public murders are committed in gun free zones. Because of significant information/intelligence gathering by Hamas, the Hamas raiders knew just what to expect where they were raiding, down to who did or did not own what kind of dog. The intelligence gathering by Hamas gave them the equivalent of a map of "gun free" zones. It is unlikely the Hamas gambit will be allowed to work in the near future, though it is a historically common one. Israel has learned an important lesson in reality.
When someone repeatedly says they want to kill you, take them at their word.
Those pushing to disarm populations claim disarmed populations are safer than armed populations. Historically, disarmed populations do not last long. They are conquered, looted, the women raped and subjugated, others sold into slavery. If there is a strong, armed protector, disarmed people can live in peace. They are at the mercy of the armed "protector". Limits on government power, such as the Second Amendment, are designed to limit the damage out of control armed "protectors" can do. Historically, they are capable of enormous damage.
The push for gun turn-in events "buybacks" is in stark contrast to the Israeli officials handing out small arms to citizen-protectors.
Proponents of gun turn-in events claim the "buyback" might prevent a suicide or accident. Academic studies do not support this claim. Those likely to turn guns in are unlikely candidates for crime, accidents, or suicides. If guns are not available to commit suicides, other lethal methods are easily substituted. In Australia, popular substitutes were hanging and single vehicle crashes, instruments easily available in modern society.
Gun turn-in events, often designated by the Orwellian term "buyback", are based on the premise removing a few guns from society might do some good. Evidence indicates "buybacks" may do some harm. The major effect is to send a message: Guns are bad. Turn them in. At many gun turn-in events, private buyers send the opposite message: Guns are valuable. I pay cash.
The premise of gun "buybacks" is guns are bad. More guns, more bad. The Hamas raid, the Israeli casualties, and mass murder in gunfree zones in the USA show guns are often necessary as a means of defense. Guns are often used for good. The state cannot have its armed agents everywhere to defend you. The state may become your enemy. There are people in the world who want to murder, steal, and rape. It is the base human condition.
The policy which has lately been followed by the United States, and Israel to a lesser extent, is: if we treat those who want to kill us well, and make clear there are economic advantages to peaceful coexistence, those who want to kill us will learn to coexist. This not a viable lesson from history. The same ideology claims weapons drive wars. The claim is if people get rid of weapons, wars (or interpersonal violence) will cease, or at least be significantly reduced. It is a false claim.
Economics is not the only, or even the most significant motivator in human affairs. It is arguable, for the past 150 years, non-economic motivators have been much more important.
Weapons do not create desires to murder, steal, and rape. As is so often the case, leftists reverse the arrow of causality. The human desire to murder, steal, and rape creates the need for humans to have weapons for defense.
©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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