Yinon Magal hits shooting range as gun restrictions ease
Jewish Home MK tweets video of himself shooting with new handgun, saying he’s still skilled after 23 years
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With Israel experiencing a spike in applications for firearms due to the current wave of terror attacks, Jewish Home MK Yinon Magal on Tuesday took to social media to post a video of himself shooting a handgun at the firing range.
“I got a handgun as well,” Magal wrote. “I went to the range for the first time in 23 years. It’s clear that some things are just etched into your memory.”
Magal, a veteran of the Sayeret Matkal special reconnaissance unit, worked as a journalist for 18 years in a number of outlets before being elected to Knesset on the right-wing Jewish Home slate in March.
Amidst the recent terror wave, Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan eased restrictions on civilian gun permits last month, in a bid to allow trained civilians to carry firearms and be able to foil terror attacks.
גם אני הצטיידתי באקדח. הלכתי למטווח ראשון אחרי 23 שנה. מתברר שיש דברים שנחרטים בזכרון: pic.twitter.com/85cQmINp41
— ינון מגל (@YinonMagal) November 17, 2015
Under the new policy, all IDF officers above the rank of 2nd lieutenant and non-commissioned officers from the rank of first sergeant and up can obtain a permit, even if they hold those ranks in the reserves. Parallel ranks in the police and other security services have been given the same access.
The decision makes private handgun ownership accessible to a broader range of ranks than previous restrictions.
In the recent terror wave, dozens of Palestinian attacks have struck Israeli towns since the beginning of October. In many cases, residents and passersby stopped the attacks by tackling the terrorists to the ground or shooting them.
Magal made headlines in June after spearheading a marijuana decriminalization bill that currently has the support of 22 MKs across the political spectrum. The bill would make the marijuana plant legal for private use, with individuals allowed to keep small amounts of cannabis and derivative products in their homes.
The Times of Israel Community.