Labor petitions High Court to order Ben Gvir to revoke improperly approved gun licenses

The Labor party files a petition to the High Court of Justice requesting that it order National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to revoke gun licenses issued in recent months that were approved in violation of regulations governing the process.

In December, Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon told the Knesset National Security Committee that some 14,000 gun licenses had been improperly approved since October 7 following a high-profile campaign by Ben Gvir and the National Security Ministry to increase gun ownership in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 atrocities.

Labor’s petition points out that unauthorized personnel such as young women performing national service, Knesset employees, and Ben Gvir’s political appointees were involved in the approval of gun licenses, and that some licenses were approved without the applicant having the requisite training.

It also notes that over half of applicants received their license without having had a personal interview, and that some were legally barred from owning a gun due to a history of violence, both of which violate gun licensing regulations.

“Ben Gvir’s decisions have brought about a massive expansion of people bearing guns in the country, which violates fundamental rights. This is a most dangerous step for the safety of the public, violates the law, and harms basic democratic values,” says Labor leader MK Merav Michaeli following submission of the petition.