We often highlight stories of law-abiding citizens who, by exercising their rights under the Second Amendment, have stopped violent criminal assaults. Earlier this year, we reported on two such incidents in Michigan—one at a Walmart and another at a church—and we’ve covered broader research showing the lifesaving role armed citizens can play.
Most of these accounts come from here in the United States, where our Founders wisely enshrined the inherent right of self-defense through the Second Amendment. But we occasionally report on developments abroad when other nations recognize the importance of empowering citizens to protect themselves and others. Recent examples include Argentina, Finland, and Poland.
Israel provides a more complicated case. In March, we reported that Iranian-linked hackers penetrated Israeli databases and leaked sensitive gun owner data online—a stark reminder of the dangers tied to registration schemes that target law-abiding gun owners. Israel’s firearm laws have also shifted over time: more permissive during the 1970s and ‘80s, more restrictive in the 1990s, then eased again starting in 2018. Following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks, restrictions were loosened further in response to heightened threats.
Those policy changes have had real-world consequences. Breitbart recently reported that civilians armed under these new rules helped an off-duty Israeli soldier stop a terrorist attack targeting vehicles and pedestrians near Jerusalem’s Ramot Junction. Though six innocent lives were tragically lost, the swift actions of armed civilians and the soldier prevented even greater bloodshed.
As The Times of Israel noted, “a soldier and a number of civilians who were present at the scene fired at the terrorists and killed them.” Commenting on the outcome, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir—who spearheaded policies to expand civilian access to firearms—stated plainly: “Weapons save lives.”
