Fears as Israel makes it easier to buy a gun
ISRAEL’S PUBLIC security ministry is to examine procedures for approving new gun licences once again, despite changing the regulations less than a month ago.
Minister Gilad Erdan’s decision to broaden the eligibility for gunownership — to cover anyone who completed infantry training in the IDF, including former career officers — drew a great deal of criticism, particularly from women’s-rights groups who say that higher levels of gun-ownership are linked to cases of domestic murders.
The new rules came into effect on August 20 following years of lobbying by gun traders and claims from the security establishment that more guns in the hands of civilians could help prevent terror attacks or minimise the time necessary to intercept them.
But there are conflicting views on this within the Israeli police and, despite Mr Erdan’s claims that the ministry had reviewed the policy internally, the only study released so far is by an external think-tank.
The number of guns owned by private citizens has declined in Israel for nearly two decades. This was partly due to tightened regulations following the 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by Yigal Amir, who used a hand-gun he owned.
It became harder to buy a gun and many security personnel were prevented from carrying the guns issued to them outside of their work. By 2016, the number of registered gun owners was down to 130,000, although it crept up slightly this year in response to a series of stabbing attacks.
But allowing permits to every Israeli who has either completed infantry training or has served as a career or non-commissioned officer raises the number of potential gun owners to half a million.
Previously, only those living in border areas or working in high-risk environments were allowed to apply.
Mr Erdan argues that more civilians carrying guns will improve security. His ministry’s assessment is that only five per cent of those now eligible will apply, which the minister says is a sign that Israel’s streets are not about to be “swamped” with guns.
But this has hardly mollified campaigners. Most Israeli police are armed, combat soldiers return home with their weapons when they are on leave, and a large number of private security guards carry weapons owned by their employers. There is hardly a shortage of guns in the hands of trained personnel, they say.
Earlier this month an investigative journalist put himself through the licensing process, establishing that all it took was a 12-minute interview and a basic background check confirming he had no criminal record and had indeed served in the infantry. There was no way to check whether he had a psychiatric record. The ministry’s decision to examine gun licencing once again is effectively an admission that the new procedures are problematic. But until a committee presents its recommendations, they will remain in effect.