Israel loosens gun control for IDF veterans

With the new guidelines, many more Israelis will be able to carry arms and defend civilians against terrorists. 

By: World Israel News Staff

Minister of Interior Security Gilad Erdan approved a plan to increase the number of weapons licenses in Israel through a change in the gun licensing laws that will enable hundreds of thousands of veterans of the IDF’s infantry units to obtain a weapons license.

Erdan signed off on the new guidelines that would allow the number of arms license holders in Israel to significantly increase.

According to the new rules, officers and commanders would not be required to return their weapons upon release from active reserve duty and could request to continue carrying them.

As a result of the new policy, the number of skilled weapons-carriers in the public sphere will increase by over half a million with veterans of the security forces and thousands of volunteers from the Israel Police and rescue organizations.

Concurrently, the minister enacted regulations that significantly upgrade the training process for new license applicants and holders of existing licenses.

“Many civilians saved lives during terror attacks, and in an age of ‘individual terrorists’ – the more skilled civilians carrying weapons, the greater the chance of thwarting attacks without casualties and reducing the number of casualties,” Erdan stated.

“Skilled civilians holding guns in the public space contribute to the sense of security, constitute an important defence line against individual attacks and serve as incidental power multipliers, thereby strengthening public safety,” he added. “The new policy balances the need to protect the public who may be at risk and the need to protect the public from the improper use of guns.”