Here in Israel, where weapons permits are issued to those that need them, and are limited to a single weapon per person, there is no such thing as concealed carry.
Or open carry.
Weapons permits for private citizens are granted as Carry Permits.
So you can chose based on fashion, comfort, tactics, or personal preference how you want to carry your weapon. As long as you have your valid Carry Permit and ID on your person, you can legally carry just about anywhere in the country.
I've carried my pistol openly in government offices, military installations, malls, supermarkets, sports arenas, and synagogues. I've even been to political functions and open carried with our current Prime Minister in the room.
Here are a few pictures of what it's like in Israel.
Some random guy looking through his backpack
At a hot dog stand. At the cell phone counter How's that for a patriotic custom pistol on the salesman? At a wedding
In the park At a Synagogue Lots more on how and why we carry weapons here and here
I don't carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
I don't carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.
I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.
I don't carry a gun because I'm evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.
I don't carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.
I don't carry a gun because I'm angry. I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.
I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.
I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy. I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy.
I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.
I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.
I don't carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.
Police Protection is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves. Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.
While at the Jewish Blogger conference I met Robert Avrech. I've been reading his blog for a while and really enjoy it. Robert is an Emmy Award winning screenwriter, an observant Jew, a religious Zionist, a fierce conservative Republican, and a member of the NRA. Robert has been writing and producing in Hollywood for over twenty-five years
"I count seven Glocks and two M16's. There is, undoubtedly, more firepower in shul (Synagogue), but these men are not vain, wild west gunslingers. Most sidearms are concealed under shirt tails, or, as in the case of my brother-in-law David—who dresses for Shabbos like he's still back in Monsey—his Glock 17 is hiding under his nicely tailored suit jacket.
It is comforting to daven (pray) in a room with armed and well-trained citizen soldiers. We know from experience that in Israel, it is armed citizens who are the first line of defense against the Arab-Muslim terrorists who have been killing Jews since time immemorial.
One of the most irrational and shameful political positions taken by Liberal American Jews is the demand for the abolition of the right to bear arms.
If Jews in Europe owned guns there would be several million dead Nazis and their collaborators—and far fewer dead Jews."
He also writes about his friend's experience dispatching a terrorist in a crowded supermarket.
“The Glock is a good weapon when every millisecond counts,” says Larry. There's no safety, which can take precious time away from shooting. You can keep a round in the chamber, then just draw and fire.”
“I keep hollow points in the Glock, but my spare magazine has full metal jackets. The day I killed the terrorist, I put him down with the hollow points. Don't want to use full metal jackets in a crowded supermarket, they'll go right through and kill an innocent bystander.”
“The Efrat supermarket was crowded?”
“Very. Look, the terrorist was here,” Larry demonstrates using his body and mine, “and behind him were several women and children.”
Moshe Plesser, the unarmed yeshiva student who shot and killed the rampaging bulldozer terrorist, explained how he and security guard Oron Ben-Shimon stopped the murderous rampage.
Moshe did not wish to speak with the media, but hours afterwards read a written statement. He began by calling the attack a "murderous attack on our holy and beloved land, part of the war in which we find ourselves." He then thanked all those who, he said, had a hand in helping him act correctly: "First of all, thanks to G-d, and secondly to the education and upbringing I received, beginning in the Morashah Talmud Torah in Jerusalem, and then the Dimona Yeshiva High School, and then the Yitzhar and Kiryat Arba Hesder yeshivot, and finally to my army training, for helping me act in the way every soldier and citizen should. I also wish to thank my brother-in-law David Shapira for serving as a personal example [Shapira was one of the two who killed the terrorist in Merkaz HaRav earlier this year - ed.] "
"As far as what happened," Plesser continued: "I was bicycling from the center of town [westward] towards my home, when I saw a bulldozer battering a bus lying on its side and a lot of commotion. I immediately realized that it was a terrorist attack. I threw the bicycle to the side, and I ran towards the scene, trying to get as close as I could to the bulldozer so that I could get on it and stop the driver. As I got closer I tried to somehow get a weapon. When the bulldozer stopped, a policeman climbed up, and I climbed up right behind him, screaming at him to shoot."
"Oron Ben-Shimon, (a Security Guard) with whom I was privileged to cooperate in stopping the terrorist, also climbed up, and he and the policeman tried to stop him with their hands. At first I could not shoot him, because the policeman stood in between us and the terrorist. The terrorist suddenly got up and started to drive again, screaming out Allahu Akbar, and Oron was able to turn the steering wheel so that the bulldozer wouldn't run over more cars. Finally, I was able to grab Oron's gun and shoot over the heads of the policeman and Oron, three bullets to his head. Then a Yassam (Riot) policeman got on and fired again to ascertain his death."
Another eyewitness said that he saw the bulldozer ram the bus several times, and then continue on in his attempt to run down passersby and cars. "Some cars were able to get away, but at least one was not, and he rammed his shovel right into the windshield," the man said.
Moshe can be seen in a blue shirt, outside the bulldozer cabin, in many of the videos of the attack being circulated.
Oron Ben-Shimon, a security guard at the nearby Kupat Cholim Leumit office, also took part in the save. He said that when he saw the shovel of the bulldozer mowing things down, "I ran towards it. When I got there, the bulldozer was stopped, I got up on it - Moshe helped me - and we tried to stop the driver, who looked like he was fainted on the steering wheel. But then he suddenly got up and started the bulldozer going again. I couldn't get to my gun, and also the policeman was in between me and the terrorist - so I punched him [the terrorist] and that stunned him... Then Moshe - who really deserves all credit; of all the people there, he was the one who responded the most correctly - quickly realized what was happening, and took the gun from my holster and shot the terrorist three times in the head. Then a Yassam policeman got on board, shot another bullet, and that was it."
The journalists listening to the accounts of Plesser and Ben-Shimon praised them highly, as well as the policeman and the Yassam officer. The fact that the policeman did not shoot and kill the terrorist, and the questions raised as a result, were not mentioned outright.
At least four people were murdered in the unprecedented terror attack.
Two Israeli civilians received IDF certificates of appreciation for having responded heroically to terrorist attacks. IDF Binyamin Brigade Commander Col. Amir Abulafia awarded the certificates to two residents of the Binyamin region of Judea and Samaria.
Moshe Benbenishti was cited for having "acted courageously when he did not lose his cool when attacked by rioters from the village of Zara el Kabaliye." In the incident, which occurred in March of this year, Moshe "used his personal pistol and hit one of the central inciters, and as a result saved his own life and scattered the mob that wanted to harm him."
Rabbi Erez Bar'on was praised for "acting with a perfectly cool head when he responded effectively and killed a terrorist who tried to attack him as well as a youth at the Shilo hitch-hiking post." The incident occurred a month ago.
My friend JoeSettler commented that some people shouldn't own guns.
I own a gun, and have always had guns.
Mrs. DoubleTapper has a Glock 26.
Almost all of my friends and neighbors have guns.
The Government here in Israel requires that all guns be licensed, that every permit holder be 21 years old, and certified by a doctor that they are healthy, both physically and mentally. In addition no felons can be licensed to carry guns.
So now you have the government telling an elderly person with a debilitating illness that they have to sell their handgun and are no longer allowed to have a firearm for protection. And Servicemen and students from the ages of 18-21 can't own firearms either. They can do military service and be issued weapons by the IDF, but can't purchase a pistol.
In the USA no felon or mentally ill person can legally own a firearm. But there's no law on the elderly, or the physically weak/sick.
Rabbi Erez Bar-On is the principal of the Hitzim High School in Itamar, near Shechem. and a graduate of the Hesder yeshiva in the town of Har Bracha, on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria.
On Monday afternoon, an Arab man approached the Shiloh Junction bus stop and began talking to two people, Rabbi Erez Bar-On and teenager, Hillel Maeir. Maeir described the events which followed: After a short conversation in broken English and Hebrew, which aroused the suspicion of the two, the 16-year-old young man decided to move away, behind a concrete barrier at the bus stop while the Rabbi Erez Bar-On placed his hand on his personal weapon.
At that point, the attacker suddenly pulled out a six-inch knife and tried to stab the Rabbi Bar-On. Because of his fear of getting entangled with the law for using his weapon, the would-be victim waited until the last second to draw his personal weapon. Hillel Maeir described that as the terrorist's knife was coming down toward the Rabbi Erez Bar-On, he managed to draw, cock and shoot his pistol at the terrorist all in the same motion.
The bullet knocked the Arab off his feet and wounded him. When the terrorist then reached inside his shirt, the Rabbi Erez Bar-On interpreted the motion as a possible attempt to detonate an explosive vest, and he shot again, this time killing his attacker. It later turned out that the Arab was reaching for a second concealed knife.
At 17:30 today, an Arab terrorist approximately 20 years old drew an 8 inch knife and attempted to stab a 15 year old Jewish boy at a bus stop near the town of Shiloh.
Rabbi Erez Bar-On, who was at the bus stop, drew his pistol fired twice killing the terrorist on the spot.
IDF officials said Monday that Rabbi Erez Bar-On did the right thing, “The citizen acted properly, in a decisive and fitting manner,” officials said. Rabbi Bar-On’s quick response saved the 15-year-old, who was not hurt in the attempted stabbing.
I was reading online at HogOnIce about how he's dealing with locking up his weapons. And it occurred to me that I haven't answered one of my reader's questions.
Where do you keep your gear?
In a Rifle Safe of course!
Here in Israel, all weapons are the sole responsibility of the owner. If you lose your weapon, you are required by law to file a police report. All weapons must be in your possession or under lock and key at all times.
A basic locally manufactured rifle safe is ideal for what I need.
An additional Pistol Safe is the perfect place to store important documents and Mrs. DoubleTapper's Glock 26 when she's not carrying.
Readers are surprised that with all of the pistols available here in Israel, I chose the Glock 17.
The Glock 17 was the first pistol designed and manufactured by the Austrian company Glock. It is a locked breech, short recoil 9 mm Para semi-automatic pistol with a standard magazine capacity of 17 rounds of ammunition. It uses a modified Petter/Browning barrel locking system. The Glock 17 appeared in the early 1980s for the Austrian Army weapons trials. It entered service under the designation P80. In 1988, it entered service in the Swedish Army under the designation Pistol 88. It is also used by the Norwegian Army and police. The designation 17 is derived from the gun’s being Gaston Glock’s 17th patent, rather than its magazine capacity. The Glock 17, like all Glock pistols, has a well known reputation for being extremely rugged and reliable.
The Glock stirred up quite a scare when it was revealed to have a polymer frame. Some people thought that, based on early reports, the whole gun was plastic and/or ceramic, and therefore undetectable by metal detectors. In fact, the slide, barrel and many other internal parts, comprising about 80 percent of the gun’s mass, are made out of metal. The slide and barrel are QPQ Tenifer treated, a process that makes their steel more durable to wear and tear as well as to corrosion.
The Glock 17 has become very popular because of its simple controls, high durability, and moderate price. It is also reported to be highly reliable in extreme environments like desert, jungle, and arctic regions. The pistol enjoys widespread use in law enforcement, but is also a very popular military, sports, and self-defense pistol. More than 50 countries use it for law enforcement or military service.
Description and Specifications
The Glock 17 and all others that Glock has since produced use the “Safe Action” fire control system, a single-action mechanism utilizing a striker instead of a hammer and firing pin. Like most other striker-fired pistols, the Glock pistol requires the trigger to pull the striker back the rest of the way, and to release it. In its ready-to-fire state, the pistol could be considered to be “half-cocked”. This arrangement translates to consistent trigger pulls which some claim makes training easier. Notably absent is any manual user safety, although a trigger safety and additional internal measures prevent accidental discharge. Its frame is made out of an advanced polymer. Glock barrels use polygonal rifling for increased accuracy which works best with jacketed ammunition, otherwise lead build-up in the barrel is likely to cause malfunctioning.
The Glock 17 (and only model 17) could be modified with “amphibious kit” that allows underwater firing (in very shallow depths, thought). Basically, the underwater shooting itself has very little effect in real combat, since the effective range is extremely short. The real purpose of that feature is to show the strength of the gun and to allow safe shooting in severe weather conditions, with possible water in the barrel (in many guns this may result in blown barrel).
Caliber: 9 mm
Cartridge: 9×19 mm
Weight: 22.04 oz / 625 g empty
Produced: 1980 - present
Because of their reliability Glocks are extremely popular here and Israel. Both Mrs. DoubleTapper and I carry ours on a daily basis.
An Arab Terrorist armed with a Kalashnikov Rifle and a bomb vest infiltrated the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva library tonight at 20:40, and opened automatic fire in all directions at the scores of rabbinical students there. After several minutes, 40-year-old Rabbi Yitzchak Dadon, shot the attacker in the head with his personal weapon. David Shapira, a graduate, heard the shots from his nearby home, ran to the yeshiva and "finished [the terrorist] off."
The Terrorist was resident of the south Jerusalem suburb and was an Israeli citizen. His bomb vest did not detonate.
Once again armed civilians managed to prevent a terrorist from killing many more.
Schools should always allow legally armed civilians on campus to act as a deterrent and to protect the unarmed.
Red wanted to know, "How difficult is it for an Israeli citizen to obtain a carry permit?"
Israeli citizens over the age of 21, regardless of race and religion, are entitled to apply for a Carry Permit. That means that here in Israel, there are Arabs, many of whom are related to known terrorists, walking around with legal handguns.
The powers that be here in Israel understand that more guns in the hands of law abiding citizens means better security for all. So they issue carry permits on an as needed basis to everyone over 21 that has a valid need.
Valid need can be a business need (if you deal in large amounts of cash, diamonds...), Security guards, and anyone living in a dangerous area (small towns, border areas, etc), Volunteer Auxiliary Police, etc.
Ambulance drivers, paramedics, firemen, mail carriers, all are issued pistol permits almost automatically.
The license process takes 3 months. Your health, mental stability, and criminal background are thoroughly checked. And new immigrants need 3 years of citizenship prior to obtaining a carry permit.
If you have any questions, let me know and I'll try and answer them.
I don't know about the other 50 states, but growing up in Vermont and living in Israel does get you used to seeing guns.
All carried openly.
Here in Israel we are issued straight Carry Permits, one per person, for a single handgun.
For Israelis choosing a handgun, holster and accessories is a matter of cost, training, effectiveness and comfort. Not who might see my pistol? Will the bulge in my pants (made by my handgun) be considered offensive?
And trying to convince the cops you’re not a pervert, just carrying a concealed handgun in your Under-All Holster, seems to contradict what the second amendment stands for.
Just in case you were wondering Mrs. DoubleTapper carries her Glock 26 open carry too.
I'm frequently asked , "What types of handguns are carried in Israel"
Every thing and anything is the correct answer. But as far as popularity goes, the 9mm beats everything else hands down. Glock, Beretta, CZ, Colt, S&W, Browning, FN, Sig Sauer, Ruger, and that's just what I see on my way to synagogue on Saturday morning.
There are a few less practical options out there as well. One of my neighbors has a 9mm eastern block looking, folding stock, semi auto, with a 30 round banana clip. He wears it on a sling over his head and shoulder.
The newest thing is what the guys working as security guards are carrying. It's a Fobus shoulder stock attachment for the Glock, Jericho and for the Bul. Both the IWI Jericho and the Bul are made here in Israel.
This is a Bul Cherokee with the shoulder stock attached .
Cherokee Specifications:
Caliber: 9mm x 19,
Overall Length: 190mm
Overall Height: 140mm
Weight: 705 gr.
Barrel Length: 93mm,
Sights: Fixed, 3 dot,
Sight Radius: 138mm
Safeties: Thumb, & Firing Pin Safeties,
Trigger Pull 4.5-5.5 lb.
Capacity: 17+1
Bul also does custom paint jobs if you're into that look.
Lately I’ve been getting lots of questions from readers via email. I guess I should have thought of that before I posted my email address on my blog. Many of the questions are in regards to living in Israel, specifically to guns. I’ll try and answers as many of your questions as I can…
I carry a Glock17 in a Foubus pancake holster on my right hip. It’s comfortable, easy to get to sitting or standing, and extremely visible. My carry permit allows me to carry. Period!
No, if someone sees it you can loose your permit junk.
The laws here in Israel are extremely restrictive, but have some elements of common sense. All weapons are listed, registered and individually licensed. The Ministry of Interior is responsible for the licensing of weapons and Gun Shops. I applied for and was issued a carry permit back in the 1980’s when I was still on active IDF duty. Every 5 years I am required to pass a physical and mental health check, criminal background check, qualify at the range, and pay a renewal fee for my carry permit.
I do not have, and can’t get a backup pistol. Although I am a Reserve Office (Captain) and have a M16A1 military issue rifle that I have “signed out” from the military, for civil defense, I am still only allowed 1 handgun carry permit, for my single pistol.
Mrs. DoubleTapper has her own Glock 26. We are not allowed to carry each other’s pistols. That’s it one pistol per person, very few exceptions. But if you aren’t crazy, a criminal, or too infirm to carry, you can apply and get a permit to carry.
Who carries weapons in Israel?
Servicemen and women, on duty and off, in uniform or not. Reservists, Cops, Ambulance Drivers, Firemen, Teachers, Security Guards, Businessmen, and anyone else that has a valid carry permit. Jews, Arabs, and Christians (and everyone else) all carry weapons.
Rifles are generally issued by the IDF and carried by Servicemen and Reservists, although if you live in an area deemed by the Government to be a high risk (that’s almost every small town in Israel today) you can be issued a rifle for civil defense.
I'll add some more posts answering your questions later...
Feel free to email me DoubleTapper (at) Gmail.com or leave a comment with any questions.
Two terrorists were killed by armed civilians less than an hour ago after they infiltrated a high school in Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, south of Jerusalem.
The terrorists, armed with knives and possibly with a pistol, infiltrated the kibbutz and snuck into the Makor Haim High School.
The school was filled with more than 200 students.
The attack took place in the library when the two terrorists, dressed in black, burst into the room and ordered everyone to raise their hands and stand against the wall. The terrorists stabbed two students before their counselors were able to draw their personal handguns and kill the terrorists on the spot.
"The terrorists came inside and began stabbing students," a defense official said. Three students were injured, including two moderately. IDF sources hailed the student's counselors quick response. "This could have ended much worse," a source in the IDF Central Command said.
The terrorists entered the campus by cutting a hole is the security fence, apparently disabling the electronic alert system. Shaul Etzion, a Regional Council chairman arrived on the scene shortly after the incident and praised the students and their counselors, who showed "that Jews have no fear...of cowardly terrorists."
In my opinion, this type of incident reinforces the need for a well armed and trained civilian population. Related Post:
A Domino’s pizza deliveryman who shot and killed a would-be robber in Pagedale has a valid permit to carry a weapon and appears to have acted in self-defense, according to St. Louis County police.
The driver, who works for the Domino’s franchise nearby in University City, delivered an order at 7 p.m. Thursday to a phony address in the 6500 block of Julian Avenue, where two armed men announced a robbery. The driver pulled his own pistol and fired shots, striking one of the robbers.
Brian Smith, 19, of the 600 block of Ferguson Avenue in Ferguson, was pronounced dead at the scene, said officer Tracy Panus, the department spokeswoman. The other gunman fled. Police arrested a suspect this afternoon and booked him pending application of warrants, she said.
Panus said the driver may have been fired upon, but was not wounded. She said officers found a pistol at the scene that hadn’t been fired.
The driver surrendered his own weapon and showed officers a concealed-carry permit from Florida. Panus said officers verified the permit this afternoon.
Panus said Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch’s office will review the police reports but added, "It doesn’t appear to us that (the driver) did anything wrong."
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