Israeli firearms permit applications hit record

Amid a wave of deadly terrorist attacks across the country, the number of Israeli civilians applying for firearm permits reached an all-time high, according to sources in Israel’s Public Security Ministry.

Last week, the ministry’s Firearms Licensing Division saw a staggering 700 percent spike in applications in the span of 24 hours following the terrorist attack in Hadera — but that record, too was broken shortly afterwards, after police urged the public to volunteer for the Civil Guard.

The Guard, a subdivision of the Israel Police, currently has 23,787 volunteers, 734 of whom joined over the past three months.

A spike in the number of Israelis seeking firearms permits is often seen in the wake of terrorist attacks, but March has set a record of 6,625 applications, ministry data shows.

“The increase in demand is unusual on a historic scale,” said a senior ministry official. Applicants include members of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox, Muslim and Arab sectors, he added.

Another ministry official said the number of gun permit applications indicates “an ongoing trend of an unprecedented scale.”

Unlike in the United States, Israeli citizens do not possess a right to bear arms within the framework of the country’s basic laws. In fact, the Jewish state has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the world. As of January 2022, only 149,000 Israeli civilians were licensed to carry a firearm.

Applicants are required to meet a long list of criteria, and the type of firearm and number of bullets a license authorizes one to purchase is limited.

Each type of firearm requires a separate license, and assault rifles are off-limits — the most a civilian can apply for is a handgun license.