Thread: INTERPOL Chief on Evolving Threat of Terrorism: Is an “Armed Citizenry” Now Necessary

INTERPOL Chief on Evolving Threat of Terrorism: Is an “Armed Citizenry” Now Necessary?

Leah Barkoukis | Oct 22, 2013





After 67 people were killed in last month’s terrorist attack at the Westgate mall in Kenya, it looks like the international community could be engaging in a gun control debate of its own.
In an interview with ABC News, INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald Noble suggested that arming civilians could be an answer to protecting open societies.

"Societies have to think about how they're going to approach the problem," Noble said. "One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure that in order to get into the soft target you're going to have to pass through extraordinary security."

Discussing the “evolution of terrorism” with reporters at a news conference, Noble said terrorists are shifting their focus from targets like the Pentagon, to places that have little to no security, such as malls or movie theaters.

Citing a recent call for al Qaeda "brothers to strike soft targets, to do it in small groups," Noble said law enforcement is now facing a daunting task. […]In the interview with ABC News, Noble was more blunt and directed his comments to his home country.
"Ask yourself: If that was Denver, Col., if that was Texas, would those guys have been able to spend hours, days, shooting people randomly?" Noble said, referring to states with pro-gun traditions. "What I'm saying is it makes police around the world question their views on gun control. It makes citizens question their views on gun control. You have to ask yourself, 'Is an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past with an evolving threat of terrorism?' This is something that has to be discussed."

Indeed. With the exception of the attack on Gabby Giffords in Tucson in 2011, the common theme among mass shootings in America is that they occur in gun-free zones. And the same is true of the Kenya mall attack. The country has extremely restrictive gun laws and “carrying a concealed firearm in a public place is prohibited,” according to GunPolicy.org.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbar...tm_campaign=nl

Armed Citizens May Be the Solution to Terrorism, Says Interpol Secretary General

J.D. Tuccille|Oct. 22, 2013 2:37 pm

formatted_dad / photo on flickr

What do you do when terrorists turn from attacking well-protected government buildings and transportation centers in favor of anyplace that people may congregate? Specifically, how do you address bloody scenarios like the assault on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya by the Islamist group al-Shabaab, which killed at least 61 civilians? Well, the Secretary General of Interpol, the international police-coordination organization, says you either start providing "extraordinary security" perimeters around anything that might be a target, or else let people carry the means to defend themselves. Surprisingly, he seems to lean toward empowering individuals to take responsibility for their own defense.
In an interview with ABC News, Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said:

"Societies have to think about how they're going to approach the problem," Noble said. "One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure that in order to get into the soft target you're going to have to pass through extraordinary security."

"Enclaves" translates as "any place people gather," which could be a mall, a theater, a supermarket, a town square... That's an awful lot of secure perimeters to set up. No doubt, plenty of police unions and politically well-connected private security companies would love to see that effort made, but are you really going to throw a cordon up every time a few people gather to chat about the weather or have a barbecue? Unusually for a government official (he was the Undersecretary for Enforcement of the United States Department of the Treasury, in charge of the Secret Service as well as the ATF), Noble obviously sees that as a bit of a daunting challenge. He adds:

"Ask yourself: If that was Denver, Col., if that was Texas, would those guys have been able to spend hours, days, shooting people randomly?" Noble said, referring to states with pro-gun traditions. "What I'm saying is it makes police around the world question their views on gun control. It makes citizens question their views on gun control. You have to ask yourself, 'Is an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past with an evolving threat of terrorism?' This is something that has to be discussed."
"For me it's a profound question," he continued. "People are quick to say 'gun control, people shouldn't be armed,' etc., etc. I think they have to ask themselves: 'Where would you have wanted to be? In a city where there was gun control and no citizens armed if you're in a Westgate mall, or in a place like Denver or Texas?'"

Interpol

I'd answer that allowing people to proactively respond to threats has always been a better idea that trying to anticipate what assailants might consider to be an easy target. You can't fortify every gathering on the planet, and each security perimeter will still have potential victims within it for the enterprising terrorist who can penetrate "extraordinary security."
The Secretary General, by the way, also called for tighter passport controls, so his comments weren't a totally unmixed bag for those of us favoring personal liberty and autonomy. Travel has become an increasingly bureaucratic ordeal over the past century, and that doesn't look likely to let up soon.
Noble (pictured at right) was first appointed to oversee Interpol's day-to-day work in 2000, and his third five-year term is up in 2015. After voicing even measured support for armed citizens in a world where governments have never much liked the idea, let's see if he makes it to through the full gig.
Update: Minneapolis police officers may agree, even by accident, with Secretary General Noble. They're objecting to an NFL policy banning off-duty cops from taking their guns into stadiums. Without their guns, they point out, they won't be able to respond to attacks.


http://reason.com/blog/2013/10/22/ar...solution-to-te

Global cop has plans for Americans' guns

Even as the United Nations pushes its global anti-gun campaign – through a treaty U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry just signed – the chief of THIS international police organization is weighing in on the wisdom of Americans being armed.

His prescription, if followed, would be a real game-changer ...

FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN

INTERPOL CHIEF: CITIZENS NEED GUNS

'Is an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past?'

Published: 14 mins ago
F. MICHAEL MALOOF


Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.

WASHINGTON – As the United Nations seeks to push its global anti-gun campaign – through a treaty U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry just signed – the chief of the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, believes open societies can be protected from terrorists by citizens defending themselves with guns, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

The U.N. effort in the U.S. is expected to be dead on arrival at the U.S. Senate, which would have to ratify the treaty. The United States for years has refrained from signing it, until now.
Mindful of the recent terrorist attack at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble said that armed citizens in open societies need to be able to defend themselves and others against terrorist attacks.
In the Sept. 21 shopping mall attack, considered to be a “soft target,” some 72 people were killed, including five of the attackers from the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab. While five of the dead were members of the Kenyan military, 61 were civilians.
Noble said in a report on ABC the attack on the mall marks an “evolution in terrorism.” Instead of targets like the Pentagon and other high-security locations, attackers have begun to focus on sites with little security that attract large numbers of people.
“Societies have to think about how they’re going to approach the problem (of terrorism),” Noble told ABC. “One is to say we want an armed citizenry, you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure that in order to get into the soft target you’re going to have to pass through extraordinary security.”
Such enclaves could include places where people generally gather, such as at malls, theaters, supermarkets, town squares and churches. But putting these locations under a high level of security would keep people from going to them.
“Ask yourself,” Noble said. “If that was Colorado, if that was Texas, would those guys have been able to spend hours, days, shooting people randomly? What I’m saying is it makes police around the world question their views on gun control.
“You have to ask yourself, ‘Is an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past with an evolving threat of terrorism?’” Noble asked. “This is something that has to be discussed.”
Gun control in the U.S. has been a dominant issue following a series of mass shootings, including the movie theater in Aurora, Colo., where 12 people were killed, and the grade school in Newtown, Conn., where 26 people, including 20 children were killed.
In light of the terrorist threat worldwide, Noble questioned the idea of gun control.
He said that members of law enforcement since the Westgate Mall attack are very alarmed over the prospect of similar attacks and have issued a warning.
Al-Qaida, to which al-Shabaab belongs, recently issued a call for “brothers to strike soft targets, to do it in small groups,” as was the case at Westgate.
Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.

For the complete report and full immediate access to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, subscribe now.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/11/interpol-...ens-need-guns/