The most amazing thing in this article is the litany of continued fatal attacks by Palis yet all we hear in America is about the poor Hamas and Hamas enablers getting killed by Jews in Gaza. oh and how Joey and his maladministration want to kneecap the IDF
Just a note: where you write: "and a fraction of the crime fears that Americans accept as normal."
Only SOME Americans accept these as "normal". They are called "Democrats". You may know a few. They publish this newsletter.
Many Americans do not accept crime as "normal" anymore than Israelis accept terrorism as being "normal".
Good luck to Israel! Maybe once you guys take care of those people in Gaza, you can send the IDF to the southern border of the United States or, just about any city run by a worthless fucking Democrat!
A lot of truth, Matti, and a relief that decent people armed with lethal force now have a chance against murderous Islamic barbarians. But why the need to endlessly explain and assure the reader that “I’m not one of those types”? In every democratic nation with a significant Islamic presence, radical Muslims have given you a choice: Let them kill you and your unarmed family, or you kill them in self-defense. You never asked for that choice. Only a liberal mugged by reality feels the need to justify why he or she made the obvious right decision. No explanation needed!
Strong writing, Matti. Self defense is a human right. Civilians should use firearms to protect themselves and their loved ones. America is the only country with a 1st and 2nd Amendment, which is why it has remained relatively free from tyranny. Unfortunately, we are under threat from Democrats who are against free speech and guns. America's violent crime rates are high because Democrat-run blue cities have bail reforms that let violent criminals roam free. No matter how much politicians try to blame guns for the bloodshed, criminals do not follow any laws or bans.
I hadn't really thought to apply for a license after October 7th, but my wife asked me to. We're older, so I guess we still have those gender-roles baked in; I spoke with a neighbor yesterday whose wife is the one who's now packing.
The reason for getting a gun is clear to Mr. Friedman and to me alike, but I don't really understand the discomfort. It's something I always thought would be more of a bother than a likely life-saver, but the probabilities have now shifted. I don't see why my life, how I think about it, my self-image or my public perception should be affected by owning/not-owning a gun.
Shifting the topic a bit, it's worth noting Mr. Friedman's admirably candid admission that his class of people -- which is not so much economically middle-to-upper but rather secular+Ashkenazi+Sabra -- looks down at their countrymen. The only thing missing is the word "deplorables". This insight, combined with a few others, goes a long way to explain the composition of the government (before and after 10/7) and the protests against it (again, both before and after).
In a related comment, he correctly states that 𝘐𝘯 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭’𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴. What could really move things in a better direction would be were he and his group to deal with the fact that, against their will, their own opinion on the matter has approached that of those they dismiss.
Prior to October 7, your typical Israeli was enjoying life, thinking about work, the next startup, and the upcoming vacation. They had forgotten they were surrounded by terror organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and ISIS.
Since the anarchy of Black Lives Matter and its acceptance by the media and politicians — with calls to ‘defund the police’ listened to more than ‘lock up the criminals’ — we have seen craziness spread in America. Muslims now lead hate rallies at universities, break up city council meetings, march in our streets, and even disrupt Congress with calls of ‘Death to Israel!’ ‘Death to America!’ Jews are accosted by blacks and Muslims in numbers that were unthinkable ten years ago.
So yes, in America as in Israel, more people who would not have considered owning a gun in the past are now buying them and taking shooting lessons to feel more secure at home in a less secure time.
Enjoyable article sir. Thanks for sharing the perspectives over there. Well done.
This line struck me most…. “Naama can’t even look at the gun.”
I recoiled.
Of course, Hamas is looking at you. As are many psychopaths and other deranged, desperate, and intoxicated criminals here in the US looking at the average U.S. citizen.
A gun is a tool, a force equalizer, and nothing more in the hands of a virtuous person determined to protect his life, family, liberty, and property.
The fearful, ignorant condescension of many liberals towards gun owners is alive and well in the U.S. But reality is that stubborn thing you run into when your beliefs are wrong. Placing your personal security, just like anything else, in the hands of the State, is a foolish error.
Just as the tainted German coinage "antisemitism" is being replaced by what it actually is, "Jew hatred," can we start replacing the misleading term "Palestinian," which implies statehood, with what they in fact are, "Palestinian Arabs" ("So-called Palestinians" would work almost as well, as would, where it applies, "Israeli Arabs.") Make language remind us that Christians, Druze, Muslims, and Jews are all Palestinans.; it may help level the field and not defeat us every time we mention our enemy.
Funny how all we see in the American 'media' is how Israeli's are 'murdering' civilians. Not, as most of us know better.
As a former soldier who has been to war in your region, Matti, I call upon the notion of self defense; when your government fails to protect you as seen throughout the world, you need to defend yourself regardless of the weapon. The last thing rational People want to do is morph into a killer of others, but when another man puts a gun to your face you have two choices...
The Men Who Wanted to Be Left Alone
“The most terrifying force of death comes from the hands of Men who wanted to be left Alone. They try, so very hard, to mind their own business and provide for themselves and those they love. They resist every impulse to fight back, knowing the forced and permanent change of life that will come from it. They know that the moment they fight back, their lives as they have lived them, are over. The moment the Men who wanted to be left alone are forced to fight back, it is a form of suicide. They are literally killing off who they used to be. Which is why, when forced to take up violence, these Men who wanted to be left alone, fight with unholy vengeance against those who murdered their former lives. They fight with raw hate, and a drive that cannot be fathomed by those who are merely play-acting at politics and terror. True terror will arrive at these people’s door, and they will cry, scream, and beg for mercy… but it will fall upon the deaf ears of the Men who just wanted to be left alone.”
100 rounds is nothing if heading to the range. My dad and I would go through 300 shot shells when headed out for skeet/trap/etc., and similar if going for rifle and pistol.
There is no way a person can be proficient without regular practice. The skills degrade too quickly, and “combat” shooting is not the same as slowly punching holes in paper.
There is something remarkable about the Israeli maintenance of sanity in the insane world in which they live. They live in an overwhelmingly dangerous place where trust in their Palestinian neighbors, their own military, and their national alliances has been strained to the breaking point. Yet, they don't seem to exhibit the hysteria one would expect but take the sensible precautions for self-defense with reluctance, almost sadness at having to acquire guns for protection. Even in the current dire circumstances, the Israelis aren't arming themselves to the teeth or waiving the legalities of gun ownership and personal training. Here in America, where guns are ubiquitous and the greatest personal danger is from other owners of guns, ownership requirements are almost non-existent, including licensing and training, making any idiot who can afford one, a gun owner and a danger to himself and his community. The Second Amendment of the US Constitution conditioned the ownership of arms in America on the maintenance of a well-regulated militia for defense of the nation in preference to a standing army. Israel, which surely is in mortal national danger, still conditions gun ownership on sensible registration and training requirements for its citizens. Israelis are a remarkable sane people.
The most amazing thing in this article is the litany of continued fatal attacks by Palis yet all we hear in America is about the poor Hamas and Hamas enablers getting killed by Jews in Gaza. oh and how Joey and his maladministration want to kneecap the IDF
Great article, Matti!
Just a note: where you write: "and a fraction of the crime fears that Americans accept as normal."
Only SOME Americans accept these as "normal". They are called "Democrats". You may know a few. They publish this newsletter.
Many Americans do not accept crime as "normal" anymore than Israelis accept terrorism as being "normal".
Good luck to Israel! Maybe once you guys take care of those people in Gaza, you can send the IDF to the southern border of the United States or, just about any city run by a worthless fucking Democrat!
A lot of truth, Matti, and a relief that decent people armed with lethal force now have a chance against murderous Islamic barbarians. But why the need to endlessly explain and assure the reader that “I’m not one of those types”? In every democratic nation with a significant Islamic presence, radical Muslims have given you a choice: Let them kill you and your unarmed family, or you kill them in self-defense. You never asked for that choice. Only a liberal mugged by reality feels the need to justify why he or she made the obvious right decision. No explanation needed!
Strong writing, Matti. Self defense is a human right. Civilians should use firearms to protect themselves and their loved ones. America is the only country with a 1st and 2nd Amendment, which is why it has remained relatively free from tyranny. Unfortunately, we are under threat from Democrats who are against free speech and guns. America's violent crime rates are high because Democrat-run blue cities have bail reforms that let violent criminals roam free. No matter how much politicians try to blame guns for the bloodshed, criminals do not follow any laws or bans.
I hadn't really thought to apply for a license after October 7th, but my wife asked me to. We're older, so I guess we still have those gender-roles baked in; I spoke with a neighbor yesterday whose wife is the one who's now packing.
The reason for getting a gun is clear to Mr. Friedman and to me alike, but I don't really understand the discomfort. It's something I always thought would be more of a bother than a likely life-saver, but the probabilities have now shifted. I don't see why my life, how I think about it, my self-image or my public perception should be affected by owning/not-owning a gun.
Shifting the topic a bit, it's worth noting Mr. Friedman's admirably candid admission that his class of people -- which is not so much economically middle-to-upper but rather secular+Ashkenazi+Sabra -- looks down at their countrymen. The only thing missing is the word "deplorables". This insight, combined with a few others, goes a long way to explain the composition of the government (before and after 10/7) and the protests against it (again, both before and after).
In a related comment, he correctly states that 𝘐𝘯 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭’𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴. What could really move things in a better direction would be were he and his group to deal with the fact that, against their will, their own opinion on the matter has approached that of those they dismiss.
Prior to October 7, your typical Israeli was enjoying life, thinking about work, the next startup, and the upcoming vacation. They had forgotten they were surrounded by terror organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and ISIS.
Since the anarchy of Black Lives Matter and its acceptance by the media and politicians — with calls to ‘defund the police’ listened to more than ‘lock up the criminals’ — we have seen craziness spread in America. Muslims now lead hate rallies at universities, break up city council meetings, march in our streets, and even disrupt Congress with calls of ‘Death to Israel!’ ‘Death to America!’ Jews are accosted by blacks and Muslims in numbers that were unthinkable ten years ago.
So yes, in America as in Israel, more people who would not have considered owning a gun in the past are now buying them and taking shooting lessons to feel more secure at home in a less secure time.
Enjoyable article sir. Thanks for sharing the perspectives over there. Well done.
This line struck me most…. “Naama can’t even look at the gun.”
I recoiled.
Of course, Hamas is looking at you. As are many psychopaths and other deranged, desperate, and intoxicated criminals here in the US looking at the average U.S. citizen.
A gun is a tool, a force equalizer, and nothing more in the hands of a virtuous person determined to protect his life, family, liberty, and property.
The fearful, ignorant condescension of many liberals towards gun owners is alive and well in the U.S. But reality is that stubborn thing you run into when your beliefs are wrong. Placing your personal security, just like anything else, in the hands of the State, is a foolish error.
A Glock is an "ugly monument"?
Glock is a testament to beautiful, elegant engineering, sir.
I am always surprised by the amount of people who abdicate their self-defense to someone else.
Just as the tainted German coinage "antisemitism" is being replaced by what it actually is, "Jew hatred," can we start replacing the misleading term "Palestinian," which implies statehood, with what they in fact are, "Palestinian Arabs" ("So-called Palestinians" would work almost as well, as would, where it applies, "Israeli Arabs.") Make language remind us that Christians, Druze, Muslims, and Jews are all Palestinans.; it may help level the field and not defeat us every time we mention our enemy.
Funny how all we see in the American 'media' is how Israeli's are 'murdering' civilians. Not, as most of us know better.
As a former soldier who has been to war in your region, Matti, I call upon the notion of self defense; when your government fails to protect you as seen throughout the world, you need to defend yourself regardless of the weapon. The last thing rational People want to do is morph into a killer of others, but when another man puts a gun to your face you have two choices...
The Men Who Wanted to Be Left Alone
“The most terrifying force of death comes from the hands of Men who wanted to be left Alone. They try, so very hard, to mind their own business and provide for themselves and those they love. They resist every impulse to fight back, knowing the forced and permanent change of life that will come from it. They know that the moment they fight back, their lives as they have lived them, are over. The moment the Men who wanted to be left alone are forced to fight back, it is a form of suicide. They are literally killing off who they used to be. Which is why, when forced to take up violence, these Men who wanted to be left alone, fight with unholy vengeance against those who murdered their former lives. They fight with raw hate, and a drive that cannot be fathomed by those who are merely play-acting at politics and terror. True terror will arrive at these people’s door, and they will cry, scream, and beg for mercy… but it will fall upon the deaf ears of the Men who just wanted to be left alone.”
– Author Unknown
“Like the army, they’re a necessary evil.” The gun is a tool only the person wielding the gun can be evil.
If every household in every kibbutz had owned an AR-15 and a thousand rounds of ammo on Oct 6 the results would have looked much different on the 7th.
As somewhat of an aside, how does one practice?
100 rounds is nothing if heading to the range. My dad and I would go through 300 shot shells when headed out for skeet/trap/etc., and similar if going for rifle and pistol.
There is no way a person can be proficient without regular practice. The skills degrade too quickly, and “combat” shooting is not the same as slowly punching holes in paper.
Interesting article, thank you.
"In Israel the terms left and right don’t mean what they mean in the United States ..."
Good reminder. That's useful as a generalization across the world, too.
There is something remarkable about the Israeli maintenance of sanity in the insane world in which they live. They live in an overwhelmingly dangerous place where trust in their Palestinian neighbors, their own military, and their national alliances has been strained to the breaking point. Yet, they don't seem to exhibit the hysteria one would expect but take the sensible precautions for self-defense with reluctance, almost sadness at having to acquire guns for protection. Even in the current dire circumstances, the Israelis aren't arming themselves to the teeth or waiving the legalities of gun ownership and personal training. Here in America, where guns are ubiquitous and the greatest personal danger is from other owners of guns, ownership requirements are almost non-existent, including licensing and training, making any idiot who can afford one, a gun owner and a danger to himself and his community. The Second Amendment of the US Constitution conditioned the ownership of arms in America on the maintenance of a well-regulated militia for defense of the nation in preference to a standing army. Israel, which surely is in mortal national danger, still conditions gun ownership on sensible registration and training requirements for its citizens. Israelis are a remarkable sane people.