Re: 2nd Amendment perspectives

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Shmuel, could you please clarify for me: Are you an American
citizen living in Israel advocating repeal of America's 2nd
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

On 10/31/02, rrr wrote:
> 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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