The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) today hailed an announcement by the government in Saudi Arabia that foreigners who feel threatened by a wave of militant violence can carry guns for their personal protection. The report was carried by the Reuters news agency.
“This sensible move by the Saudi government should send a signal to other nations around the world, where citizens have been essentially disarmed and left to the mercy of a growing criminal element,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “For example, Great Britain, Canada and Australia have all imposed horribly restrictive gun laws on their citizens, and look what’s happened. Violent crime has soared, and the public is defenseless..
“In Saudi Arabia,” Gottlieb continued, “Interior Minister Prince Hayef bin Abdulaziz observed Thursday that ‘a Saudi has the right to carry a weapon’ and he noted that any foreign resident who fears for his or her safety could get a permit to carry a firearm, too.”
Prince Hayef noted in his announcement that he meant “a personal weapon which a person can have in his own country.”
“Certainly,” Gottlieb noted, “Prince Hayef would be baffled at the way citizens in so-called civilized nations have been left defenseless against criminals and thugs, while in his own country, the government is now allowing even foreigners to go legally armed for their own protection. It appears that the Prince fully understands that citizens, and even non-citizens, are entitled to protect themselves against criminal attack.
“We are gratified by this gesture of the Saudi government,” Gottlieb said, “toward the safety of foreigners living within their borders, including many American citizens. We think the leaders of other countries, not to mention the governors of states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska-where concealed carry remains illegal for law-abiding Americans-could take a lesson from prince Hayef.”