Recipe for disaster as Israel allows more civilians to carry guns | The Electronic Intifada
Israeli minister of public security Yitzhak Aharonovitch approved a measure on Thursday that eases gun restrictions, expanding gun license eligibility to tens of thousands of people who previously did not qualify.
“The decision comes from a need to improve the feeling of safety among the population in light of the recent terror attacks,” said Aharonovitch.
The new, ostensibly temporary, guidelines will allow certain army unit veterans, officers in the army reserves, former police and Shin Bet (Israeli secret police) officers and former security guards at the Israel Airports Authority to qualify for a gun license.
Because military conscription for Jewish Israelis is compulsory, this constitutes a large portion of the Israeli population.
Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including eastern occupied Jerusalem, are already often armed to the teeth.
