Ben Gvir significantly expands Jerusalemites’ ability to obtain gun licenses

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has cleared an additional 41 Jerusalem neighborhoods for personal firearms licenses, meaning more than 300,000 Jewish residents will be eligible to obtain a gun.

The far-right minister touts the move to expand civilian access to firearms in a charged statement, saying it takes on significance not only amid the ongoing war with Iran, but due to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

“Precisely in the shadow of the war and during Ramadan, Jerusalem residents have a basic right to defend themselves and their families,” he says, calling on those living in the newly-approved neighborhoods to go and obtain a gun license.

“Firearms in the hands of responsible citizens constitute an important component in strengthening personal security and enabling an initial response to terror and crime,” Ben Gvir says.

The 41 neighborhoods, all Jewish, join Har Nof, Givat Shaul, Neve Yaakov and Gilo — Jewish neighborhoods on outskirts of the capital — as areas in which residents are eligible to obtain a firearms license.

Though armed civilians have in the past thwarted terror attacks in Jerusalem by shooting and killing the perpetrators, the city has also seen innocent people slain by such civilians in the heat of the moment.

Additionally, advocacy groups against domestic violence groups have continuously warned that the ease with which one can obtain a license places women with violent partners at even greater risk, as 2025 saw a sharp uptick in femicides.

The most common weapon used in the 32 femicides committed last year was a firearm, though only three women were murdered with a licensed gun.