Jerusalem Mayor Refuses to Apologize for Carrying Gun

We all know that guns don’t stop killers. They just make things worse. But for some reason the Mayor of Jerusalem thinks otherwise. Maybe this is why…

In a scene right out of a blockbuster action film, surveillance video recorded Sunday evening shows Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat tackling an alleged Arab terrorist who stabbed a haredi man seconds earlier and then wildly attempted to accost passersby near the capital’s City Hall.

The video, which has gone viral, shows the suspect, identified by police as a 19-year-old Palestinian who entered Jerusalem without authorization, swinging a knife at bystanders after initially stabbing a 30-year-old ultra-Orthodox man at a junction in IDF Square.

Moments later, Barkat can be seen rapidly and determinedly walking toward the suspect, as two members of his security detail run to catch up to him. When one of the bodyguards draws his pistol, the suspect drops the weapon and Barkat tackles him to the pavement.

Okay so he didn’t shoot a terrorist that time. But there’s always next time. Though the media and the left are unhappy that Barkat is shown with a weapon.

Jerusalem’s mayor, caught on video this week with a gun slung over his shoulder while visiting a Palestinian neighborhood, is making no apologies for the display of force. He says he’s helping keep his city safe.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Nir Barkat urged other licensed gun owners to follow his lead, saying that Israel’s plethora of well-trained army veterans gives the country an added edge as it confronts a wave of attacks carried out by lone Palestinians.

“In Israel we’re fortunate to have many ex-military and current military reservists that are professionals, well trained, they know how to fight. They know how to use weapons,” said Barkat, himself a former Israeli paratrooper commander. “For us, it’s an extra security measure that’s not happening in the rest of the world.”

Barkat said Israel’s well-armed citizenry plays a key role in this strategy, stopping attackers quickly in cases when police aren’t around. He pointed to stabbings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv this week where attackers were quickly shot.

Barkat said he gave no thought to taking his handgun with him when he toured an area in east Jerusalem this week where violent clashes had taken place and dismissed suggestions that images of a gun-toting mayor might unnerve citizens or tourists.

Barkat became animated as he discussed his weapon of choice, a Glock 40 handgun, modified with an Israeli-developed “Roni” carbine kit that allows it to be fired like a rifle. “It’s extremely stable and responsible,” he said.

Barkat had already encouraged Israeli gun owners to carry their weapons.

 Although such an announcement has not been made publicly or explicitly, Walla! News reports, police and local authorities have unofficially given instructions to civilians to carry personal weapons.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has however issued an official statement urging residents of the capital to carry licensed firearms to increase their personal security.

“The mayor encourages licensed gun owners to carry their weapons to increase security. He himself serves as a personal example of this,” the Jerusalem municipality said.

But the left is upset about all the guns (except when they’re in the hands of terrorists.)

Sarit Michaeli of the anti-Israel hate group B’Tselem said there is a risk that Palestinian suspects will simply be shot, even in cases where they could be arrested. A video that surfaced last week, for instance, showed Israeli police gunning down a Palestinian assailant from a distance. Perhaps he could have been stopped and arrested, she said.

“Obviously the police have an obligation to protect the public and stop attacks,” Michaeli said. “However, stopping them doesn’t automatically mean killing. It means using the minimum amount of force necessary to neutralize them.”

What’s the minimum amount of force needed to neutralize an attacker rushing at you? Maybe Michaeli can demonstrate?