Sharp increase in firearms applications across Israel as terror wave continues

Increased interest comes as Israeli politicians and security officials have called on the public to increase their awareness.

JPost

Amid a wave of stabbing attacks across Israel and talk of a Third Intifada, the Public Security Ministry has seen a sharp increase in the number of civilians applying for firearms permits or inquiring about how to renew their current permits, the ministry said Sunday.

The ministry did not give an exact figure for the increase, yet said it is in the “tens of percentage points.”

They said such an increase is typical for “periods when terrorism is on the rise,” and that they have extended the operating hours of their licensing branch in order to deal with the demand.

The increased interest comes as Israeli politicians and security officials have called on the public to increase their awareness, as well as a call by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat last Thursday for all residents of the city with gun licenses to carry a firearm with them at all times in order to help counter the current wave of stabbing attacks.

The boost in demand was clear to see on the ground in Tel Aviv, at “Lahav,” a gun store and shooting range in southern Tel Aviv that’s been in business since 1949. The front counter was packed with almost a dozen customers on Sunday afternoon, most of them permit holders looking to train on the shooting range, pick up their licensed, state-approved pistol, or trade in their old ones for newer, lighter handguns that are easier to carry day in and day out.

One customer, an American oleh and IDF veteran who gave his name only as “David”, was coming to pick up his first gun, an Israeli-made “Jericho” semi-automatic pistol. The Beit Shemesh resident works near the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem, and said he believes “anyone who knows how to use a weapon should do what they can now to help.”

In his office upstairs, Iftach Ben-Yehuda said over the past week or so, there’s been a serious uptick in customers, mainly licensed firearms owners coming in to train and shake the rust off their trigger finger.

“Because we’re in a phase where you don’t know where the next attack is coming from and people are very afraid, a lot of people [with permits] are taking responsibility and are coming in to train on the range to make sure they’re ready. A person who is responsible, reasonable and knows the rules of can very much increase the strength of the police and the army.”

He said the store has extended the operating hours of their shooting range to meet the demand, saying he sees it as his responsibility as a good citizen, though obviously it also means the store can handle more paying customers.

For the most part, Ben-Yehuda said the increased business has been in the sale of pepper spray, saying that over the past week hundreds of people have come in to buy it for self-defense. He said this includes a high number of parents of soldiers – especially female ones – who want to give their children an extra measure of defense knowing that as soldiers in uniform carrying IDF service rifles they’re attractive targets for attackers looking to stab them and snatch their rifle.

For Shaul Derby, who has managed Lahav for the past 57 years, the recent rush for firearms certification is nothing new, and on a smaller scale than in decades past.

“This is nothing, after the Ma’alot Massacre (in 1974) or the Coastal Road Massacre (1978), the line was out the door and down the street.”

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Sunday people who have permits and firearms and train regularly could help police currently, but added that there has so far been no changes in the ministry’s regulations on gun licensing.

No matter the increased interest, the stringent nature of Israel’s gun control regulations – which see gun ownership as a privilege and not a right, like in the United States – means it’s still not simple for a civilian to acquire a firearm.

Gun licenses are typically only given out to those who have a reason to carry a gun – for instance because they work in security or law enforcement or live in dangerous areas such as the West Bank. Those who fit the requirements, are over 21 years old and a resident of Israel for over three years, must take a mental and physical exam and pass shooting exams and background checks by the Public Security Ministry. Only then are they allowed to order a gun through a gun store with approval of the ministry and given a one-time supply of 50 bullets to take home.

They are also required to take a new license exam and shooting test at the gun range every three years.

The regulations were tightened to a large extent after the Rabin Assassination in 1995, although the Second Intifada saw a boom in the private security industry and the number of licensed firearms owners working in security.