Keep Your Guns, Keep Your Life

Every morning I wake up in Netanya, Israel, pick up my phone and click on the New York Times app. Lately, I find myself holding my breath with anxiety before I do in anticipation of another mass shooting. I relax a little bit because now many US schools are already on summer vacation. However, I wonder if it will be another synagogue, church, night club, or disgruntled employee at a business who decides to murder innocent people.

This morning did not “disappoint” as I read that 11 city government employees and one man filing for a permit were gunned down by a disgruntled employee (I’ll have to amend my mental checklist of places for people to be massacred.)

If you are still reading, don’t fret. This is not an anti-gun, antiNRA piece. I understand that to many Americans guns are more important than anything or anyone else. I also understand that I’m never going to understand those people.



March for Our Lives protest in Houston, Texas, in March. Photograph: Alyssa DuPree

But if gun-loving Americans do not demand gun control laws, then we at least have to address how we avoid these mass killings. The crossover between Pro Life and Pro Gun must be high (I couldn’t find the statistics during my 30 second Google search). Let’s help people live and keep their guns:

The United States is going to need to adopt the same measures that are put in place in Israel. I’m not someone who is going to tell you that Israel is soooo much better than everywhere else. However, say what you want, Israel cares about the safety of its citizens (and has strict gun control, but nevermind). In Israel there are metal detectors and armed security everywhere, and I mean everywhere. At my school alone, we have up to four armed guards at one time. At many government agencies, you can’t even enter with a small bag just to ensure that there’s no contraband.

Putting security everywhere will create a boon for private companies who produce metal detectors and can offer employment opportunities for unskilled workers or retirees looking to supplement their Social Security. Sure, you’ll never be able to enter a Target or Costco again without having someone search your bag and being exposed to radiation, but at least you won’t die buying deodorant. However, the cost of your 24 rolls of toilet paper will go up as these costs are passed on to the consumer. Perhaps the NRA can help subsidize the cost of security?


I am going to be in the Midwest this summer. I will be asked by many people, “Isn’t it scary living in Israel?” This is the first time I will be able to look everyone in the eye and say it’s way safer here than in the US.

I hope to hear this chanted at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in 2020:

“Keep your life. Keep your guns. Metal detectors are good and fun.”

Until then, perhaps I should just go straight to the crossword instead of reading the news.

In memory of the victims of the Virginia Beach Massacre .

There are many Nikolas' Cruz's in the world but only one America

Let's take a look a Nikolas Cruz: Adopted father died 10 years ago. Adopted mother died suddenly in November. Suffered from depression. Was bullied. Wrote scary, stupid things on social media. Fixation on guns. This profile is not that unique, especially on a global scale. However, the difference between Nikolas and the rest of boys in the world with this profile is that he had easy access to buying an "5.56×45mm, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifle." So the argument that people kill people; guns don't kill people, is really stupid. Because if you gave every depressed orphan boy in the world, who was fixated on guns and hated other people an AR-15, you would have even more violence in the world. (In fact, those people are often illegally conscripted as child soldiers.) You want to own a hand gun? Fine. Buy a hand gun with a certain number of bullets. You want a couple of hunting rifles to go kill bunnies. I think that's crazy, but go ahead. No one needs an AR-15 in their home. So here's the thing. We are at a crossroads. If Congress does not pass common sense gun legislation, our representatives are actively saying that they want children to be killed; that the NRA's money is more important than the lives of children. Let's be clear. If you vote for someone who takes money from the NRA, you are voting for someone who is okay that children will be killed. You are prioritizing whatever it is that makes you vote for said person over the lives of children. That's your choice, that's democracy, but own your choices.