People all over the world were horrified to learn about the events at a Texas synagogue in mid-January. Ordinary Jews found themselves being held hostage by an Islamic terrorist. Thankfully, they all escaped physically unharmed.
It didn’t take long for the usual debate to erupt. Pro- and anti-gun activists soon began the same argument that has existed for years. Regardless of which side of the aisle you land on, the Second Amendment is something that has been controversial in recent years. Often Israel is brought up in this debate and it is important to understand how we view gun ownership.
In 1949, Israel passed a gun law. It stated that citizens could not obtain a gun unless they had a license. The idea was that all citizens could be armed, but this was a privilege and not a right. This runs counter to the American view, or at least the way conservatives see the matter. In America, the default mode is that citizens have a right to bear arms. In Israel this is viewed as something for a select group.
For an Israeli to get a gun license they must have a justifiable reason and submit proof to the authorities. Some of the reasons for getting a gun license include living or working over the Green Line. A firefighter or rescue worker who could be sent into dangerous areas is eligible to get a gun; even a tour guide qualifies. This means that there are hundreds of thousands of Israelis who can obtain a firearm. However, the government closely monitors who has one.
The reason for the system is actually just as entrenched in the Israeli mentality as the Second Amendment is to American gun enthusiasts. We in Israel are expected to join the army after high school, and every soldier is trained to use a rifle. We see the army as a sacred institution whose purpose is to protect our very existence. Therefore, we want to have a well-trained citizens’ army. However, we do see the need to have armed civilians as well. While these civilians are not soldiers, they are an extension of the security apparatus.
The purpose of the Second Amendment is different in nature; the United States was founded on the principle of liberty. Citizens would not be subjects of a king and therefore needed to be able to protect themselves. The First Amendment defines the basic principles of liberty and the Second Amendment describes how to preserve it. Following the Revolutionary War, the framers of the constitution saw government as a source of tyranny. The counterbalance to this was a strong citizenry. With this in mind, citizens needed a right to self-defense that would be ingrained into the national psyche. The Second Amendment is not merely to protect average citizens from violent criminals or for hunting; it is a check against a potentially tyrannical government. This is not at all similar to the foundation of Israel.
In Israel, we don’t see the government as a source of tyranny. If anything, the very existence of a Jewish government in our ancestral homeland is a sign of our salvation. Religious Jews see the nature of the state as the start of a messianic process. The idea that the government can one day turn against the people is counterintuitive. Every soldier is taught about the “purity of the gun” during basic training, prior to being issued a rifle. The idea is that a gun must be kept pure and only used when absolutely necessary.
There is of course a major problem in having a Second Amendment in Israel. We are a fractured society. About 21% of the population is made up of Israeli Arabs. There are many Arabs who do serve in the army, police and emergency response teams. These people have the same rights to firearms as Israeli Jews. Unfortunately there are still many Arabs who hate the very nature of the Jewish state. This past May during Operation Guardian of the Walls, thousands of Arabs across Israel rioted and attacked Jews. This occurred in cities like Lod and Acre. Due to the fact that there is no Second Amendment, there were very few guns involved in the violence. If Israel had an American-style Second Amendment, it isn’t hard to imagine that the situation could have been far worse.
So here is the key to understanding our differences. In America, guns are seen as a God-given right needed to protect liberty. In Israel, guns are seen as a responsibility to protect others. This is crucial to understanding the different mentalities. In Israel, Jews and Arabs can both get gun licenses so long as it is done to enhance the security of the state. In America, state security isn’t high on the agenda since there isn’t the “Fortress-Israel” mentality. It is why many Israelis can’t understand why so many regular Americans have guns. At the same time, many Americans don’t understand why Israel has no interest in a second amendment. This insight is not to say one side is right and the other wrong. Rather, it is meant to explain a major cultural difference.
David Weiss is native of New York and has lived in Israel since 2008. He served in the IDF from 2008-2010 and lives in Karnei Shomron with his wife and three sons.
