Palestinian terrorists are increasing their attacks against Israeli citizens in recent days, and the Israeli government is responding by arming more citizens, including teachers:

Restrictions on gun permits are being eased, especially for former security officials, as a measure meant to help counter the wave of terror attacks, Israeli officials said.

“In light of the security situation, I have decided to make it easier to obtain a gun permit,” Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Tuesday.

“In recent weeks, many citizens helped the Israel Police neutralize terrorists carrying out attacks. Citizens trained in the use of firearms are a force multiplier in the struggle against terror,” he added.

Under the new policy, all IDF officers above the rank of 2nd lieutenant and non-commissioned officers from the rank of first sergeant and up can obtain a permit, even if they hold those ranks in the reserves. Parallel ranks in the police and other security services may do the same.

The decision makes private handgun ownership accessible to a broader range of ranks than previous restrictions.

Erdan also ordered gun permits be granted to graduates of certain elite units in the security services, as well as certain government security courses, including those that train the security details of ministers and government institutions.

Some municipalities where officials say the danger of terror attacks is heightened will be allowed to give out special gun licenses to residents to fill gaps in the distribution of civilian gun carriers. One example cited by officials is teachers in the ultra-Orthodox schools of Jerusalem; the ultra-Orthodox community is a target for terrorism, but few qualify for a gun permit based on a security background.

In a sane, practical,  and rational society, authorities realize that the most effective way to terminate terrorism and violent crime is to more heavily arm the citizenry so that they can counter the threat.

Contrary to the beliefs of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton,  Bernie Sanders, and other anti-liberty/pro-gun control Democrats, you do not save lives by reducing the ability of average citizens to respond with appropriate force against lethal threats.

World history has shown us consistently that the weak will be exploited and enslaved by either outside cultures, or more often, their own governments if they cede too much power to the government.

Here in the United States, we don’t face a high risk of Islamic terrorism on a day-to-day basis, even though with the current lame duck President bringing in tens of thousands of unvetted refugees from Syria, the possibility of domestic Islamic terrorism is certainly increasing.

We do, however, encounter run-of-the-mill violent street crime, which seems to be increasing in some areas as law enforcement officers are purposefully becoming much more cautious due to the so-called “YouTube effect.”

Thanks, Black Lives Matter.

The proper response to more violent crime is to make it more difficult to carry out violent crime without the risk of being appropriately ventilated by a “good guy with a gun.”

Unfortunately, the localities seeing a sudden increase in violent crime are those very communities where lawful gun ownership is actively discouraged and treated harshly by anti-gun lawmakers.

You’d think they’d be capable of learning… but you’d be wrong.