Israel is an interesting nation, in part because it’s pretty much surrounded by people who want to wipe them off the face of the planet. Smack dab in the Middle East and with enemies on almost all sides, the country has a degree of readiness that most Americans can’t really comprehend.

And, unlike a lot of other places outside of the U.S., people can own a variety of firearms beyond hunting weapons.

Yet it’s not easy to get a gun there. The process is long and drawn out.

Over there, one rape survivor military veteran is working to try and change that.

A 26-year-old Israeli dubbed “The Queen of Guns” is urging women to pack heat for their safety — as she opened up about her harrowing experience of being raped twice as a child, according to a report.

Orin Julie, who served in the Israel Defense Forces, runs an online gun accessories store as she promotes female empowerment and gun rights for women in the Jewish state, which has very strict rules on weapons permits, Jam Press reports.

“I’ve been a rape victim twice in my life, the first time was at the age of 8. I was sexually abused by an older man,” Julie told the outlet.

“It affected me so much that I lost all my confidence and became scared of everything,” she said. “I turned into a really quiet child with few friends and I was always suspicious of adults — I had no trust in them.”

…

After her service, Julie continued to train and used her social media platforms to raise awareness of how women can learn self-defense.

The Israeli government has very strict rules on gun ownership, but Julie claims the process of obtaining permits is far easier for men who served in combat units than for women with similar backgrounds.

“For myself, I was able to get one because I served three years as a combat soldier and then became a shooting instructor, but it was a long and difficult process,” she said.

“First we have to go through a range of officers courses, then wait for one year and just then we can do a shooting instructors course but only if we work in a shooting range.”

Julie said she wants more women in Israel and around the world to be able to protect themselves.

The fact that it’s easier for men who served in combat to get permits than for women with the same background is complete and absolute BS. Especially, as Julie’s experience shows, women are vulnerable to certain horrible crimes that most men will never be.

There are reasons women need guns.

In truth, the gun laws in Israel aren’t all that different than most of the rest of the world. There’s this idea that guns are something you shouldn’t have unless you’re willing to jump through seemingly endless government hoops. While there clearly are some differences–some of the guns Julie has in her photos would cause law enforcement to have an aneurysm in some places–the fact is that guns aren’t like here. A woman concerned about being a victim can’t walk into a gun store and walk out with a handgun.

And yet, so many gun control advocates would seemingly prefer to see a woman like Julie unarmed and at the mercy of an attacker in the deluded hope that it would somehow prevent bad guys from getting weapons. By now, they should know that’s not that’s simply not what happens, but the anti-gunner ability to dismiss inconvenient information is downright mindboggling.

My hope is that Julie can successfully help women in Israel get guns. Hopefully, she can help change the laws so people are able to defend themselves from any manner of threat and without a huge burden.

The right enshrined in the Second Amendment is a human right. That means the right to keep and bear arms extends well past our shores. Here’s hoping Julie can convince her countrymen of that.