Re: 2nd Amendment perspectives

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Are Palistinians allowed to carry guns?

On 10/31/02, Shmuel Goldstein wrote:
> My thesis: Repeal the 2nd Amendment.
>
> I live in Israel. The so-called West Bank, to be precise.
Here in Israel, we
> do not have a 2nd Amendment, and no one here has a "right"
to bear arms.
>
> There are basically three ways in which your average
Israeli citizen can/does
> use arms: 1) He can acquire a license, then buy the weapon,
2) Work for the
> Police or other security agency, 3) Do reserve duty
>
> Now, just about every man does reserve duty, and typically
the weapon used is
> an Uzi, M-16, or perhaps a Galil, which handles like an AK-
47, and uses M-16
> size bullets.
>
> In addition, reservists and regular army soldiers are all
over the country, and
> it is de riguer to see a 19 y/o soldier get on a bus with
an M-16 strapped
> around his shoulder. No one thinks anything of it. In fact,
there have been
> several incidents where one of these guys was near a
suicide bomber and stopped
> him by shooting him.
>
> In order for a regular citizen to acquire a weapon, say, a
pistol, he must
> undergo security checks, medical checks, and police checks.
It is not a given
> that he will receive a license for the weapon. Basically,
if he was an IDF
> officer, a cop, or if he lives in a dangerous area (the
gov't decides what is
> dangerous, and they make logical decisions, believe me), he
can get the
> license. Then he's got to go to an approved dealer to buy
the gun. Then he must
> do monthly target practice or risk having his license
revoked, and the weapon,
> which could cost hundreds of dollars, confiscated.
>
> I remind you, that this is ISRAEL, which is undergoing a
cruel war of attrition
> right now.
>
> Gunshot and violent crimes here are much more rare then
they are in the US.
> Part of the reason is that a weapon is hard to get. Part of
the reason, indeed,
> is cultural.
>
> Before the OSLO accords, signed in 1993, Palestinian
violence was primarily
> rocks being thrown, and the occasional bigger attack. Since
the accords were
> signed, and more to the point, since the Palestinian police
were given weapons
> by the Israelis, my children must go to school in BULLET-
PROOF buses. The
> Palestinians use the weapons freely against us, and even
use them at weddings -
> firing in the air in "celebration".
>
> An Israeli is VERY careful with the weapon he either has
bought, or was issued
> for his reserve duty. He must fill out a report and undergo
sometimes grueling
> interrogations by the Police (or the MP's) if he fires the
weapon.
>
> Many people where I live walk around with pistols in their
belts, and/or the
> Uzi or M-16. These are simple civilian residents of a
Jewish village in
> Samaria (aka West Bank). These people have the weapons
legally. In fact, the
> attack just a few days ago in Harmesh was stopped by people
with such weapons.
>
> Israel can be considered the valhalla for those who love
guns.
>
> BUT
>
> There is no 2nd Amendment, and there is no "right" to bear
arms.
>
> In the US, there is no "right" to drive, yet millions do.
> There is no "right" to be a doctor, yet there are many.
> There is no "right" to fly, yet there are many pilots.
> There is no "right" to be a pharmacist and sell potentially
deadly drugs, yet
> many are pharmacists.
> There is no "right" to be a prostitute, and in fact, it is
illegal in most
> places, EXCEPT certain areas of Nevada.
>
> In short, if the 2nd Amendment is repealed, each State and
locality can then
> set the weapons-use issue according to the customs and
mores of its own
> people. Even if there is no "right" to bear arms, this does
not mean that guns
> will be taken away from people. It only means that they
could (but not
> necessarily will) be monitored much more closely, which I
think will only help
> to reduce violent crime.
>
> Just my thoughts,
>
> Shmuel
>

Re: 2nd Amendment perspectives, 2/10/05, by Shmuel Goldstein.

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