Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to distribute weapons and ammunition to communities near the Gaza border on Sunday.
“Gallant directed the institution to supply arms and munitions to communities near the security fence,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Palestinian militants transport a reportedly captured Israeli woman by motorcycle, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 7, 2023. (-/AFP via Getty Images)
He also wants an IDF representative designated to work with “local leaders” in the area near the Gaza border, in order to maximize the use of the armed citizenry.
At the same time, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is directing those in charge of issuing firearm licenses to allow interviews with applicants to be conducted over the phone — instead of in person — thereby speeding up the process, making it possible to issue licenses within a week’s time.
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Breitbart News noted that private gun ownership is low in Israel, in large part because the nation does not have a Second Amendment. There is no guaranteed right to own a gun in Israel and one must acquire a gun license before legally possessing a gun.
Even then, Israelis are limited in the type of firearms and quantity of ammunition they can own. The BBC observed, “Usually citizens are allowed to hold a pistol and a limit of 50 bullets.”
An Israeli soldier takes cover behind a car as he looks toward a main road near the Gevim Kibbutz, close to the border with Gaza on October 7, 2023. (OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images)
Many expect this most recent Hamas terror attack to change firearm policies, allowing citizens a broader range of weapons for defense of themselves and their nation.
DM Yoav Gallant is already making sure the IDF is spreading out weapons and ammunition in the communities closest to the Gaza border; communities that may have to defend themselves and their nation if the attacks continue.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.