President Obama recently announced the formation of a “Gun Control Task Force” to be lead by President Joe Biden, to address the progressive call for more second-amendment restricting legislation in the wake of the Newtown, CT massacre.

California Polytechnic student Elena Reynolds suggests that a better solution would be to look at Israeli policies:

Having been to Israel, I can attest to the fact that guns seem to be everywhere, but with good cause. While staying in a hotel in Jerusalem, there was an armed guard outside the hotel at all times. All the front desk attendants were armed. Seems like a mass shooting spree would be so easy, yet a school shooting like Sandy Hook would never have happened there. How is that possible with so many guns floating around?…

For example, gun licenses are issued only to a few, select group of people including law enforcement, former IDF officers who have achieved a certain rank, and those who, due to the nature of the work, need regular protection. This includes schoolteachers. Yes, in Israel, teachers are armed. In addition, when children go on field trips, an armed guard accompanies the group, another thing I witnessed while in Israel. This may seem sad, but it also makes so much sense. A gunman is most likely to go to a place where they know people cannot defend themselves, a place without security. That is exactly what Adam Lanza did and he killed innocent, defenseless children.

In Israel, to obtain a license people must be 21 years or older and have been a resident of Israel for at least three years. They must take firearms training courses and pass an exam at a licensed range. In addition, they must pass a background check conducted by the Public Security Ministry. However, perhaps the most important requirement of all is that fact that all those seeking a license must undergo a mental and physical health exam. This might be the key to preventing firearms from falling into the hands of the wrong people. People like Adam Lanza.

If Israelis meet all the above requirements they are permitted to purchase a firearm and are issued a one-time supply of 50 bullets by the government. But this isn’t the end of the story. Every three years they must re-take their license exam. A new law set to go into affect in January makes things even more stringent by requiring Israeli gun owners to prove that their homes are safe places to store firearms.

The two components of Israel’s gun regulations that seem to be the most logical for the United States to consider implementing are as follows:

1. A mental health exam

2. Some means by which an individual can prove that their firearms can be safely kept in their home.