Israeli citizens are pressing the government to ease Israel’s gun laws and speed up gun permits in the wake of Hamas’ terror attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis.
Israeli citizens are urging the government to loosen the country’s restrictive gun laws in the harrowing aftermath of Hamas’ terror attack that massacred more than 1,200 Israelis and ignited a war in the region.
Israeli residents are signing petitions pressuring the government to allow them to take up personal arms as Israel prepares for a ground invasion of Gaza, the Times of Israel reported.
Firearm licensing in Israel is a point of contention in the country and has been regarded as excessively stringent for civilians, but activists say the events that transpired in the last week and the traumatic images of Hamas terrorists brutally murdering Israeli civilians in their homes, should be cause to immediately loosen restrictions.
“People are changing their opinion, and now there is more awareness,” Rabbi Raz Blizovsky, 32, of Katzrin told The Times of Israel.
Firearm licenses for private citizens in Israel are typically only granted to individuals who can prove a need for extra security in their line of work or daily life. One of the key qualifications for a private citizen to obtain a license to own a gun depends on where they live, the Times of Israel explained.
Blizovsky takes issue with that logic. He said he can’t understand why someone in Tel Aviv legally cannot get a pistol, but someone in the Golan can.
“There are terror attacks in both places,” he told the outlet, adding that it’s a “pity” that it took a devastating terror attack to wake up the country to the importance of personal protection for private citizens.
