Israelis practice shooting at a range in the settlement of Migdal Oz, in the occupied West Bank, on Nov. 2, 2023. (Credit: Anis Messinis/AFP)
JERUSALEM — Israel's National Security Ministry said some 1,700 weapons licenses are issued to Israelis on average every day amid the Israel-Hamas war, a sharp increase compared to previous years.
About 236,000 applications for weapons licenses have been submitted to the ministry since Oct. 7 it said, adding that the number of requests that were submitted in just over a month is equal to the number submitted in twenty years of routine activity.
18,000 Israeli civilians completed the full process and purchased a gun since the outbreak of war.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Israelis who are in the midst of applying to complete the process and on anyone who has not yet started "to do so today."