Tel Aviv [Israel]: In the 18 days since the October 7 terror attacks in southern Israel, more than 100,000 Israelis have filed requests for gun licenses, according to the National Security Ministry.
Before the war, the ministry added, that number would have equalled two years of requests.
“If I don’t protect myself, no one will,” Shahar Fishbein told the Tazpit Press Service.
The 23-year-old resident of Kadima Tzoran in central Israel recently finished his military service and is in the process of obtaining a firearm license.
But after filling out and sending in the requested paperwork, Fishbein says he has no idea what the status of his request is.
“I have been waiting for an answer from the Ministry of National Security but only got a confusing message that my request was absorbed in the system,” he said.
Hamas’s assault on Gaza border communities triggered a tsunami of requests for permits as the Israel Defense Forces were caught off guard by the attacks. It took several days for the military to regain control.
In the wake of the attack, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir eased restrictions on permits. Eligibility has been expanded to include more former combat soldiers, as well as active emergency medical responders and firefighters.
After a telephone interview with the ministry’s Firearm Licensing Department, eligible citizens without a criminal record or health issues can now be issued a gun license within a week.
Citizens are now allowed to own up to 100 bullets, up from 50.
The ministry has also begun distributing weapons, helmets and bulletproof vests to thousands of security volunteers in mixed cities, border communities and towns in Judea and Samaria.
Israeli citizens do not have a legal right to privately carry firearms and the country has strict gun control laws. Applicants must meet minimum age requirements, have no criminal record, and provide a declaration signed by a doctor that they are physically and mentally healthy.
Applicants must also explain to the Firearms Licensing Division why they need to carry a gun. The type of gun an Israeli is permitted to carry may depend on the reason given to the authorities.
Permission is not automatic. According to Ben-Gvir, the Firearm Licensing Division rejected 9,256 requests in 2022.
Licenses must be renewed every three years. This process includes a health declaration signed by a doctor, confirmation of completing a refresher training course and a firearm check to verify the gun is in working order.
