Jerusalem – Israel Eases Gun Control Rules After Jerusalem Terror Attack

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    Orthodox Jewish men pray inside the synagogue where a fatal attack left four rabbis dead, in Jerusalem, 19 November 2014. EPA/ABIR SULTANJerusalem – New guidelines on gun licensing in Israel were put into effect on Thursday, easing the restrictions on firearm possession in towns and cities across the country.

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    The new guidelines were approved by Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch during a meeting he held Wednesday night with officials from the Israel Police and his ministry’s branch which approves firearm permits.

    The decision comes in the wake of a series of terror attacks in Jerusalem and elsewhere, and the minister’s promise earlier this week that he would order a probe into changing Israel’s firearm restrictions, as a way of providing security in the face of the terror threat.

    The new guidelines will add Jerusalem and 41 other cities, towns and local councils to the list of areas in Israel considered “high-risk” or “high-priority”, such as West Bank settlements, where residency can allow you to receive a permit if you meet the other criteria.

    In addition, the new guidelines will allow security firms to let guards take their firearms home at the end of their shifts, will give permits to soldiers who served in certain elite combat units, will allow people with older state-issued firearms to swap them for newer guns, will allow any reserve officer of any rank to receive a firearm, will allow firearms shooting instructors to receive a gun license, and will allow the police security branch commander to allow on a case-by-case basis the carrying of military grade firearms.

    Aharonovitch said Thursday that “the decision to ease the restriction stems from recent events and the need to strengthen the sense of security among the general population and due to the recent terror attacks that have struck us. The distribution of permits will be done responsibly and with scrutiny and discretion, and in keeping with the approved criteria.”

    As opposed to the United States where gun ownership is a right, in Israel it is a privilege only given to people who meet certain requirements. The licenses have only been given out to those who have a reason to own a gun because they work in security or law enforcement, or they live in settlements or other places where the state has an interest in them being armed.

    As of earlier this week, criteria included that the applicant be over 21, an Israeli resident for more than three years, have passed a mental and physical health exam, background checks by the Public Security Ministry and shooting exams and courses at a licensed gun range. If given a permit, the holder is then allowed to order a single firearm with a one-time supply of 50 bullets from a licensed dealer. They are then required to retake the licensing exam and undergo testing at a gun range every three years. They also have to prove they have a safe at home to store the gun.

    Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post


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    BuckyinWisconsin
    BuckyinWisconsin
    9 years ago

    Unbelievably restrictive gun control in a country where EVERYONE serves in the military and is very familiar with firearms. This is of course a legacy of the socialist liberal past of Israel. I daresay that if every Jew in Israel was carying a gun, you would have a lot less terroist attacks, certainly from teh Muslim aniamlas that are using knives.