Gun License Applications and Firearm Sales Surging in Israel

Gun license applications and firearm sales are surging in Israel weeks after the Hamas terror attacks took the lives of 1,200 Israelis on October 7.

The attacks were accentuated by videos on social media that showed terrorists going door-to-door in Israeli communities, finding and killing unarmed Israelis in their homes.

In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack, Israeli leaders expedited the process of acquiring a gun license so that Israelis could become armed quickly. The expedited process contributed to a run on guns in areas such as Samaria, where, on October 11, 2023, Breitbart News noted unarmed residents were flooding into offices to fill out the paperwork necessary to secure a gun license.

The Jewish News Syndicate noted, “The local Maccabi health clinic was teeming with crowds scrambling for health applications for gun permits. It was tense but congenial as doctors scrambled to fill out forms.” There was also a line at the Town Hall, as those seeking gun licenses went through the process to show proof of residency.

On October 10, Breitbart News pointed out that Israel’s National Security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, announced 10,000 assault rifles were being purchased and distributed to civilian security teams in communities along the country’s borders.

The Guardian reported that “the head of the Samaria regional council in the West Bank distributed 300 assault rifles to “civilian security squads” last week as a result of Ben-Gvir’s directive.

The Guardian indicates the rush for guns and gun licenses continues apace: “Growing numbers of Israelis have applied for a gun license or rushed to buy a gun, citing a sense of unease and feeling a need to take matters of defense into their own hands.”

Yael Gat, who directs Caliber 3–a firearm sales and training facility in Israel–said, “A lot more people are coming – everyone wants a gun now. They’re shaken and they don’t feel secure. There’s a completely different feeling now; they want guns to protect themselves.”

She added, “Normally we have three training sessions per week for new licenses, but right now, since 7 October, we are doing two per day.”

A single mother from the Gush Etzion settlement went to Caliber 3, then commented, “I’m a single mother and I have two kids. I don’t really want to have a gun, but I want to have the option to protect my little girls.”

Editor’s Note:  This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.  The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters. 

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.