Following a brutal series of coordinated attacks by a terrorist group, authorities in Israel have seen a huge surge in requests for new gun permits. 

The Times of Israel reports that more than 236,000 new requests for permits have been filed since the Oct. 7 attacks – roughly the same number as in the past two decades combined – with at least 31,000 granted and upward of 1,700 being issued per day. By comparison, in 2021, just 42 permits were issued per day on average. 

Among other restrictions on public firearms ownership, Israel has a rigid gun licensing scheme with draconian limits such as a fixed 50-round-per-firearm ammunition cap. Further, those with rarely granted permits must complete refresher training every six months to keep their permits/guns. A series of changes rushed through via emergency measures will allow citizens to obtain immediate permits to purchase firearms, enable those with permits to buy 100 rounds of ammunition at a time, and exempt some 1,800 permit holders who have deposited their guns with the government while they waited for renewal training to get their firearms back.   

According to the government figures reported by Haaretz, as of last summer, just 141,646 Israelis owned a total of 150,015 private firearms. This, in a country of more than 9 million, points to under 2 percent of the general population as gun owners. That figure would soon more than double if the requested permits are granted. 

The country is home to Israel Weapon Industries, or IWI, which makes the Caramel, Galil, Tavor, and UZI series platforms. 

Banner image: An IWI Masada Slim on display at the 2022 NRA Show in Houston, Texas. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)