Israel's policy on issuing guns is restrictive, and armed guards at its schools are meant to stop terrorists, not crazed or disgruntled gunmen, experts said Monday, rejecting claims by America's top gun lobby that Israel serves as proof for its philosophy that the U.S. needs more weapons, not fewer.Wayne really had a bad day that day. What do you think about it?
Far from the image of a heavily armed population where ordinary people have their own arsenals to repel attackers, Israel allows its people to acquire firearms only if they can prove their professions or places of residence put them in danger. The country relies on its security services, not armed citizens, to prevent terror attacks.
Though military service in Israel is compulsory, routine familiarity with weapons does not carry over into civilian life. Israel has far fewer private weapons per capita than the U.S., and while there have been gangster shootouts on the streets from time to time, gun rampages outside the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are unheard of.
The National Rifle Association responded to the Dec. 14 killing of 20 first-graders and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school by resisting calls for tighter gun control and calling for armed guards and police at schools. On Sunday, the lobby's chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, invoked his perception of the Israeli school security system to back his proposal.
"Israel had a whole lot of school shootings until they did one thing: They said, 'We're going to stop it,' and they put armed security in every school and they have not had a problem since then," LaPierre said on the NBC News show "Meet the Press."
Israel never had "a whole lot of school shootings." Authorities could only recall two in the past four decades.
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Two in the last four decades was the point. Israel put armed volunteers in schools after the Ma'alot Massacre in 1974. Wayne was definitely off when he said they had a "whole lot of school shootings"; because the program was instituted after the first major shooting. Israel went several decades, including the periods of the Intifidas (in which Israel civilians were frequently targeted), without any sort of school shooting up until 2008. The 2008 shooting was at a religious school, where, if I'm not mistaken the program was no instituted. There were definitely attempts to attack school children by PLO "fighters" (using term for political neutrality, don't want to open that can of worms) during that time, but they all came off school grounds.
ReplyDeleteIn your own words, shooting is a shooting, whether it is committed by a terrorist or a improperly treated schizophrenic who murders his mother and steals her firearms.
ReplyDeleteSince Israel has instituted this armed teacher and guards policy the massacres at schools have stopped.
Thomas, there were no massacres at schools, at least not enough to talk about. Aren't you paying attention?
DeletePlus, Israel has strict gun control for private citizens.
The Israel comparison is bogus, that's the point.
Why is it that Israel can have armed guards and teachers in their schools, and look no armed guard or teacher going around committing a massacre.
ReplyDeleteWhy is that, Oh noes, they have guns in the schools..... the horror the bloodshed.......