(Times of Israel) Mitch Ginsburg - Only 2.5% of Israelis can legally carry a firearm, compared to 47% in America. Of those in Israel, 40,000 are security guards who work in supermarkets, malls and schools. But those who are licensed have proved capable of acting swiftly and effectively time and again to neutralize attackers during acts of terrorism. "In 40-50 cases over the past 10 years, armed Israeli citizens have intervened during terror attacks," said Dr. Shlomo Shapiro, a senior research fellow at Bar-Ilan University's BESA Center. "In 70% of those cases, their intervention was crucial." The two critical factors explaining Israeli civilians' relatively effective responses are training and an embedded sense of responsibility for one another. The training begins with the military, where combat soldiers are taught from day one to charge the enemy.
2012-12-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive