Half million Israelis eligible to carry guns in move to improve terror response

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced Monday that over half a million Israelis will now be eligible for firearm permits after the government decided to ease gun restrictions for the country’s hundreds of thousands of infantry veterans.

Under Erdan’s reform, Israelis who served in infantry units are immediately eligible to carry firearms.

Additionally, police officers who have received similar training, military officers ranked first lieutenant or higher, and non-commissioned officers ranked first sergeant or higher will no longer have to relinquish their weapon upon completion of service.

Head of the left-wing Meretz party, Tamar Zandberg, slammed the new policy.

Firearms “are a death machine whose civilian use needs to be reduced as much as possible,” she said in a statement. “Instead of dealing with the tremendous amount of illegal weapons on the streets endangering human lives, they are simply increasing the number of gun permits,” she added.

The reform, which immediately went into effect upon announcement, comes with the stated purpose of arming trained civilians and military personnel for more immediate response to terror attacks.

“Many civilians saved lives during terror attacks in an era of ‘lone terrorism,’ Erdan said in a statement. “The more skilled civilians carrying weapons, the greater the chance of thwarting attacks without casualties and reducing the number of casualties,” he added.

Erdan has also established new training regulations for permit applicants and those holding existing permits.

“The new policy balances the need to protect the public who may be at risk and the need to protect the public from misuse of guns,” Erdan argued.

Israel’s Public Security Ministry typically oversees gun licensing and has determined who can hold a firearms based assessment of individual needs and skill level.

Before the reform, Israelis living in settlements/border areas or working in security were among the individuals usually given the option by the state to carry firearms for self defense.

At present, about 150,000 Israelis have gun licenses. This number does not include people who carry a firearm for professional or military reasons. All firearm permits must be renewed every three years.

In addition, Israelis must be at least 21 years old and in good psychological health to obtain a gun license.