New gun laws is Israel- easy solution that will not change a thing

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One day after a Be’er Sheva man shot dead four people in a local bank before turning his gun on himself, the Public Security Ministry on Tuesday announced new rules to limit the number of guns in circulation.

Looking at the new proposed regulations its easy to understand that they were made to satisfy the public anxiety after the bank shooting. Common sense was not a guideline.

According to the new regulations, school security guards will have to turn in their weapons, which security companies will reissue at the start of the new school day.

Licensed gun owners will have to store their weapons in a safe at home. Security companies must obtain special exemptions from being required to store a weapon when its bearer is off duty, only one gun license will be issued to any single individual and anyone applying to renew a gun license must show why they need a weapon.

In addition, a panel will be appointed to consider administering mental and physical examinations to license applicants.

“Limiting gun ownership is at the top of our agenda, and I intend to hold a weekly follow-up meeting on the subject,” Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said in the statement.

“The security situation in Israel in recent decades has led to the granting of numerous gun licenses. We intend to restrict this while protecting necessary balance. In the last 10 years the number of licenses of firearms has been reduced from 300,000 to 160,000, and now we are reducing the number of licensed firearm-carriers by 10,000 a year,” Aharonovitch said in the statement.

What the minister did not mention , is the fact that some 400.000 illegal firearms are in circulation. No real effort was made to put hands on them.

The new regulations will not solve the problem. Instead of dealing with the real issues someone again took the easy way.

All the experts agree that armed security guards in schools and malls are not efficient and even dangerous. Most of the security guards are not trained to use the weapon especially in moments of stress.

Again the government looked for the penny under the light. This is a habit in Israel when a real problem surfaces.