Hundreds of Israelis are purchasing firearms in the fight to protect themselves amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
According to the Times of Israel, at least 500-600 people are buying guns daily.
“Between October 7 and December 25,” The Times of Israel reported. “274,279 Israelis … filed for a handgun license.”
On the contrary, in 2022, only “42,170 Israelis requested a handgun license.”
The number of gun license applications reached upwards of 3,000 a day in early December.
The outlet details the sense of urgency Israelis have after Hamas’ surprise terrorist attack on the country.
Israelis were shocked by the catastrophic failure of Israel’s much-vaunted security forces to foresee the events of October 7. That shock was compounded by the heart-wrenchingly slow and ineffectual Israeli response in the first hours of the attack. Citizens, either unarmed or far outmatched by the Kalashnikov and RPG-toting terrorists, waited for hours in bomb shelters or in hiding for military forces to arrive. Police and IDF officers and soldiers who arrived independently and in an unorganized way demonstrated tremendous bravery but were ultimately outnumbered and outgunned.
Now, tens of thousands of Israelis like Leibowitz — fearing October 7 could be repeated by Palestinians in the West Bank or mixed towns such as Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Acre — are arming themselves in an attempt to claim a modicum of control over their security.
Before the attack, Israeli gun ownership consisted of just “about 2 percent of the population.” A study from Rutgers University’s New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center estimated that at least six in ten Americans own guns.
After Palestinian terrorist Alqam Khayri killed seven innocent people who were walking out of a synagogue in Jerusalem, Israeli officials have been looking for ways to expedite gun licenses since January 2023.
“When the war started, we knew that we were right when we said that every place that has a weapon can save a life,” Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said.