Thread: IDF trend: Soldiers playing with guns.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/Art...215663,00.html

Trend: Soldiers playing with guns

IDF concerned about growing phenomenon; army source says 'soldiers who play with guns are offenders'
Hanan Greenberg

Disturbing trend: IDF soldiers engage in games involving rifles at least once a week, new data released by the Military Prosecutor showed.

Although unofficial, the report sends warning signals to the government to tackle an old problem that exacerbated in 2005.
“These are serious incidents. Only by miracle no one was hurt and the incidents did not make headlines. It is clear that it is only a matter of time before the bullet hits the head of soldier instead of a door,” a source at the Military Prosecution told Ynet.

“The Military Court, however, is adopting a tough approach against these soldiers, but it seems not all soldiers realize the great danger in turning an M-16 rifle into a toy,” the source added.

The following incidents could have caused preventable deaths:

April 22, 2005, a soldier pointed his gun to his head as his comrades shouted at him. He cocked the weapon and fired. The bullet hit a bed, piercing the mattress and the wall.

October 7, 2005, a soldier cocked his weapon and fired a single shot towards his friend. He then loaded a full magazine into the weapon and pointed at his friend, who fled.

November 7, 2005, a shot was fired in a room in a training camp.

December 15, 2005, a soldier loaded his gun and asked “Who wants me to unload a magazine in him?” A group of soldiers asked him to calm down but he pointed his gun to the head of one soldier and the abdomen of another.

January 10, 2006, a soldier shouted “Where is my gun? I am shooting someone here” after discovering that his cellular phone charger had been broken. The soldier fired a shot, but no one was injured.

'Soldiers who play with guns are offenders'

In cases like these the Military Prosecution files indictments against rebellious soldiers after an investigation by the Military Police, who usually arrest suspects.

“There are plenty of incidents of this kind. Too many in fact,” one source told Ynet. “Some are shocking. Sometimes the indicted soldiers don’t understand how close they were to getting indicted for attempted murder instead of inappropriate use of weapons. It is a shame that only when a tragedy occurs, the IDF will wake up. If there is an incident every week then what is being done is not enough,” he added.

In the most serious incident of this kind, an IDF soldier pointed his automatic weapon at his comrade whom he had in the crosshairs and fired a shot that missed his friend by few centimeters. The soldiers covered the hole caused by the bullet and told their commanders that a bullet was mistakenly fired.

“Not all incidents involving illegal use of weapons are life endangering and there are some which are harmless. But it is clear that the use of weapons as toys carries a degree of danger and we have to do everything to control the phenomenon,” the IDF source said.

Meanwhile, a senior officer told Ynet that the IDF is always working to prevent soldiers from using weapons as guns.

“There is an information campaign in all bases with the focal point being the training camps. As far as we are concerned, soldiers who play with guns are offenders and soldiers are requested to report these incidents or else they are accomplices,” the officer said.

“It is clear that games of this kind are likely to end tragically like the event in the early 90s when three soldiers died playing with their weapons. Therefore we are dealing with the phenomenon firmly,” the officer added.