Israel isn’t the United States. While they have a lot more gun access than a lot of places, they also have restrictions we simply don’t have here.

They also have a terrorism problem and have for decades.

Now, they’re seeing an increase in gun permit applications.

The series of terrorist attacks that have been taking place in Israel over the recent month have seen a steady increase in the number of Israelis applying for firearm permits, and according to sources in the Public Security Ministry, which enforces gun-control regulations, the shooting in Hadera on Sunday has seen a staggering 700% spike in these numbers.

Between 9 p.m. on Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday, 433 Israelis applied for a firearm license. The daily average is 60, the ministry noted.

A spike in the number of Israelis seeking firearms permits is often seen the wake of terrorist attacks, but the 12 hours following the ISIS attack in central Israel resulted in a highly unusual uptick in applications.

The ministry said it [expects] the daily rate of permit applications to wane in the coming days, as it usually does.

I don’t know if those applications will wane or not. After all, there have been a number of attacks recently, including one over a week ago where an armed Israeli shot the knife-wielding terrorist, ending the threat.

That’s got to play into people’s minds to some degree.

Of course, we also have to remember that Israel isn’t the United States. They have different laws and a different culture, particularly when it comes to guns. They actually have some pretty strict gun control laws.

They also have terrorism.

On that, they’re far from alone. We’ve had terrorist acts on American soil, though nowhere near as many. I’ve long argued that one part of the solution for terrorism is armed citizens ready to meet the threat where it presents itself.

Good guys with guns will always be the best tool to stop bad guys with guns or worse.

I’m not surprised to see a pile of Israelis stepping up and wanting to arm themselves in light of what’s been happening there. The Israeli government should facilitate as many gun permits as they can, if not completely remove the requirement, so their citizens can protect themselves from the terrorists who want to wipe them from the planet.

Personally, I’d rather see them remove permits entirely. While the article goes on to note that Israel doesn’t have a version of the Second Amendment, that really doesn’t matter to me. Gun rights are human rights. For people to be free, they must have access to arms so they can defend themselves from criminals, terrorists, or a tyrannical government. It’s just that simple.

Israel is allowing its people to get arms, but it shouldn’t be difficult and there shouldn’t be so few. The government could facilitate that if they chose, and they should.

If Israel is going to continue to exist, as I believe it has a right to, then they need to pull out all the stops. After all, they’re surrounded by enemies. It’s not a good time to be restricting gun rights.