Ben Gvir says residents of two more localities to be eligible for gun permits

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announces the addition of Modi’in and the Be’er Tuvia Regional Council to the list of localities whose residents are eligible for a private firearms license, as part of his gun permit reform.

In a statement, Ben Gvir says the move is in response to “repeated security incidents” in the communities.

“The reforms we are leading have already saved many lives and have proven themselves in the field,” he says.

Requests for gun permits surged following Hamas’s massive attack on southern Israel. Last March, Ben Gvir celebrated the approval of 100,000 new gun licenses since October 7, claiming that putting more weapons on the streets has made Israel safer. Women’s groups have decried the rising number of guns in Israeli homes, saying it poses a risk to victims of domestic violence.

In the wake of October 7, the National Security Ministry also granted temporary authority to Ben Gvir’s personal staff appointees, Knesset employees, and others to approve gun license applications. Several were subsequently investigated by police on suspicion that the ministry inappropriately issued firearms permits.

Last November, the High Court of Justice said that licenses were issued “seemingly without authority.”

Sam Sokol contributed to this report.