Until the recent slaughters of Israelis by Hamas I had no idea that Israel has incredibly tight gun control laws. In particular they look upside down compared to those of New Zealand, in that it’s easier to get a licence for a handgun than a rifle or shotgun. I can only presume that this is due to Israel lacking our hunting culture. But they do have another culture:

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett says, “Except during times of heightened terrorism anyone who would possess a firearm without being compelled to do so because of their job (soldier, police officer, etc.) is viewed by the general public as simply being mentally defective. Those same people are the first ones to ask if you sit next to them, if they know you are armed, when you get on Jerusalem’s Lite Rail.”
…
“Much of the opposition to gun ownership comes from the various women’s movements. They point to deaths of women from firearms. Otherwise opposition against private ownership of firearms goes back to the founding of Israel.  The second law passed by the Israeli Legislature (1949) was confiscation of all firearms and munitions.”
…
“The average citizen has no right to own any type of weapon whatsoever, and doing so illegally will land him or her in jail for many years. In situations like these, selecting who gets to have access to firearms and who doesn’t is the equivalent of selecting who gets to live or die.”

As a result only 3% of Israeli citizens own guns. Amazing for a nation that has seen multiple wars and frequent terrorist attacks in its history, but it would seem the assumption is that the Police and IDF would take care of things, which is why the nation has nearly 100% compulsory military service. Still, it comes as another surprise to learn that when they return home after their stint they typically don’t take, and are not allowed to own, even ordinary semi-automatic rifles as the Swiss reservists do. It also all seems haphazard, as with the case of Kibbutz Nir Am:

After the kibbutz came under attack, Inbal [Rabin-Lieberman a 25-year-old security coordinator] hurriedly opened the armory and distributed guns to the twelve-member security team.

She caught the Hamas murderers unawares because they were not expecting to meet armed resistance.  Lieberman killed five terrorists while the others gunned down twenty-five before the Israeli Defense Force arrived.  Because of her actions, Nir-Am was the only settlement bordering the Gaza Strip that did not suffer Israeli casualties during Hama’s attack.

No explanation anywhere I can find about why other kibbutz didn’t have at least such an armoury, even if ordinary citizens weren’t allowed to own guns. Presumably Inbal’s status as a “security coordinator” enabled this, as implied by this statement:

Rabbi Raz Blizovsky, an activist who has been part of grassroots discussions concerning personal arms, told The Times of Israel, “Firearm licenses for private citizens in Israel are typically only granted to individuals who can prove a need for extra security in their line of work or daily life.”

How many more lives could have been saved if ordinary people, especially in those remote places, had had guns. Another story like that of Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, but not as successful:

Hadar and Itay Berdychivsky, who had served in the IDF, apparently did have government-issued permission to own handguns and fifty rounds of ammunition, and they fought back. Both were killed, at a cost of seven terrorists, while defending their children.

As the saying goes, “A handgun is merely a weapon used to fight your way back to your rifle – which you shouldn’t have left behind.”.

The good news is that in light of what happened on October 7 the Israeli government, and possibly ordinary Israelis themselves, are having more than just second thoughts about citizens owning guns, especially rifles:

Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, [said] “When civilians have guns, they can defend themselves” 
…
Following the attacks, he posted on social media that Israel’s Firearms Licensing Division was to “go on an emergency operation, in order to allow as many citizens as possible to arm themselves.”.
…
1,800 Israelis forced to hand over their guns to the government in the six months prior to the attack for lack of a training renewal certification would get their firearms back.
…
Some 100,000 Israelis applied for permits in the two weeks following the Hamas terror attacks.

Even his wife, Ayala Ben-Gvir, spoke up in social media postings urging Israeli women to arm themselves for self-defense. “Carry a weapon as soon as you can. It’s a life saver”.

It’s a pity that 1,400 largely unarmed Israelis had to die before these laws could be changed.