As an ex pat American living in Israel, I am knee deep in two sets of discussions regarding gun laws and how they should or shouldn’t be changed. I think I will leave the debating alone for now, as it seems the internet and social media are full of heated discussions regarding personal safety issues and rights. That being said, I would like to explain a little bit (to those who are unfamiliar) about gun laws in Israel, where there is no such thing as a second amendment. Israel has a population of roughly 8.5 million people. There are currently around 200,000 private citizens who have a gun license (79th on the list (2014) of guns per capita) . This doesn’t include soldiers, police and government officials. In order for an Israeli citizen to obtain a license to carry, they must go through a rigorous set of tests, interviews, check-ups (mental, physical and criminal) and meet very strict criteria. It’s a bit easier for one to obtain a license if one lives in a “danger zone” (West Bank, Gaza belt etc), but even still, the automatic rifles are the property of the army and can be recalled at anytime. If one has not been in the military (for whatever reason), they can’t apply for a license to carry until they reach the age of 27. Every three years (after having been issued a license), the individual must pass a shooting test and every six years, have a psych evaluation. To read more in depth about Israel’s gun laws, simply Google Israeli gun laws, but for now, I think you have a good idea that it’s pretty difficult to obtain a license as a private citizen. That being said, Israeli citizens are often times on the front lines in our war on terror. This recent terror wave has demonstrated that armed citizens (who are trained and responsible) play a vital role in stopping terrorists (active ones). In Jerusalem, there are more private citizens with firearms and they have been able to help in neutralizing terrorists at the scene. Unfortunately, in Tel Aviv, there are not as many private citizens with gun permits and the terrorist was not neutralized and was able to escape (in my unprofessional opinion, of course). Israel is now trying to reduce some of the restrictions in order to allow people employed as security guards to bring their weapons home with them (almost every place, business, school, mall etc., has an armed security guard, however, they must leave their weapons at their place of employment). Hopefully adding more trained citizens with guns will help to prevent more carnage in our streets, school and parks. I strongly believe citizens (right or wrong) are now on the front lines, whether it be against a terror attack in a federal office building or a mass shooting at a school or in a local pub. Israel demonstrates a great (and difficult) balance in training and arming those that want to carry a weapon. Would I like to have a permit to carry? Absolutely. Unfortunately, I don’t reside in a “danger zone”, work in a cash business, nor am I employed in the security industry. For now, I will rely on the well trained citizens, law enforcement officials, the army and my faith in G-d to protect me and my family.