Ben Gvir moves to arm Beersheba residents

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announces that residents of part of the southern city of Beersheba are set to become eligible to carry personal weapons.

The decision, which was made following a professional review by the Israel Police, “means that tens of thousands of city residents will be able to apply for a personal weapon license,” a spokesman for the minister says in a statement.

The spokesman adds that since Ben Gvir began his push to increase the number of weapons in private hands following October 7, “more than 280,000 citizens have already received a personal firearms license, and more than 200 localities have been recognized as eligible for weapons.”

“I am proud to continue the firearms revolution and expand it to the capital of the Negev. The residents of Beersheba, like all citizens of the State of Israel, have a fundamental right to protect themselves and their families,” says Ben Gvir, promising to expand eligibility for gun ownership to residents of additional cities in order to “ensure that as many citizens as possible can protect themselves and the State of Israel.”

Israel generally only grants gun permits for those who can show a need for national security reasons or for work. Ben Gvir has attempted to expand eligibility, especially following October 7, and has also pushed for policy changes that puts domestic crime in the Negev’s Arab community on par with nationalist terror.