Israel eased there gun control laws to stop lone wolf attacks.
Israel has changed its gun regulations to enable hundreds of thousands more civilians to apply for licences, a move authorities say will increase security but others argue will stoke violence.
The shift in policy, announced by the public security ministry late Monday, means that up to 600,000 Israelis could apply for gun licences, a dramatic increase on the current 140,000 civilians with permits.
A source in the public security ministry, however, estimated that only 35,000 people will be interested in applying for gun licences under the new regulations.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said the change could help thwart “lone-wolf attacks” by Palestinians, who have carried out gun, knife and car-ramming assaults that have at times been deadly.
A number of people have been shot by accident, however, in the chaos resulting from such attacks, while Israeli security personnel have in some instances been accused of excessive force.
“Many civilians saved lives during attacks and, in an age of ‘lone-wolf terror’, the more trained civilians carrying arms, the higher the chances of thwarting attacks and minimising casualties,” Erdan said in a statement.
Under the new regulations, any Israeli who had extensive infantry combat training can apply for a gun licence.
This change will not lessen the vetting process to access a firearm.
According to reports, it is common to see Israeli citizens walking around with rifles in The West Bank as a way to protect themselves from the Palestinian terrorists carrying out lone-wolf terror attacks.
