National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced on Monday that he has approved five additional cities and regional councils to be eligible for private firearm licenses.
Ben-Gvir stated that 100,000 additional residents from Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, Gan Yavne, the Megiddo Regional Council, and Tel Mond would now be eligible for such licenses.
“The reform we are leading has already saved many lives and has proven itself on the ground. It is intended to enable law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their communities,” he said about the decision.
Ben-Gvir’s gun reform has led to the issuance of approximately 230,000 new firearm licenses, his office stated on Monday.
There are currently about 60 cities, local councils, and regional councils already recognized as eligible for licenses, including Ashdod, Ashkelon, Tiberias, Nahariya, certain neighborhoods in Jerusalem, and Modi’in, according to Ben-Gvir’s office.
MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Hadash-Ta’al) stated that Ben-Gvir’s decision would allow for weapons to be distributed without any oversight, which “will flow directly into the world of organized crime.”
After the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023, the minister led a campaign to ease the licensing process for gun ownership by expanding the National Security Ministry’s licensing division.
A case in the High Court of Justice last year stated that approximately 1,146 weapons licenses were allegedly granted by ministry staff in violation of the criteria outlined in the regulations that licensing staff were required to follow.
Thousands of weapons issued
According to the filing, between November 8 and December 2, 2023, staff members brought on to supplement authorized National Security Ministry licensing officials issued approximately 23,000 temporary weapons licenses, including 458 licenses allegedly issued in violation of the criteria they were asked to examine.
Additionally, of the 15,424 permanent firearms licenses issued, 688 were granted in violation of the criteria – about 4.5%.
Ben-Gvir had called the investigation “a coup against democracy” at the time and said that “nothing was done illegally.”
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.