[ezypikns]

This has probably been asked before, but what sort of firearms laws exist in Israel?

Thanks

[SniperStraz]

I'm not an Israeli, but I have spent quite a bit of time there, and I am pretty familiar with their laws.

Israel is a very small country and therefore is not split into states like the US. For this reason gun laws are national and are therefore applied to everyone. Israel does not have shall issue laws, it is solely at the discretion of the ministry of the interior to decide whether or not you need a weapon. The main difference between Israel and the US in that respect is that in Israel, one must have a license to buy and own a gun at all. That license is also your carry license. There is no concealed carry allowed in Israel at all, and people who do qualify for the license are generally allowed to own only one handgun. In order to qualify one must preferably have served in the military and have been a citizen for at least 3 years. One must also need a reason. The most commonly acceptable reasons are that you live in a settlement, (ie. West bank or northern boarder) be a judge or criminal lawyer, be a doctor that either deals with the mentally ill or prescribes narcotics, and maybe if you’re a diamond dealer or something similar. When that weapon is not on your person it must be under 3 locks, this does not include the front door. (no one follows this rule)
As far as long arms go, they are much more readily accessible than handguns due to the fact that they can’t be concealed. Same rules apply to rifles, but no one is allowed to actually own a rifle. Rifles are owned by the government who lends them to private citizens. (there is no distinction between regular and full-auto rifles) These rifles are generally surplus and discontinued weapons no longer in use by the IDF. Common weapons include: UZIs, M1s, M16A1s (Vietnam era), and most recently an influx of Galils.
As I understand it, gun owners must qualify once a year and go to the range once every 3 months in order to keep your license.
Please excuse my writing style, its late and I’m tired.
I'll answer any more questions I can to the best of my knowledge.

[10 Ring Tao]

'Lior' on glocktalk is an Israeli citizen, and was busy firing artillery into lebanon when that whole thing flared up last year. Hes answered several posts about the gun laws there, and the general attitudes about guns. Go ask him, or invite him here.

[ezypikns]

I wonder if crime is less in Israel (except terrorism), reducing the need for self defense?

[SniperStraz]

Isreal is pretty low crime.
Here's an additional link that covers the basics.
http://www.jpfo.org/israel-firearms.htm

[ezypikns]

Interesting post on the JPFO site. I actually found a post on 'Glock Talk' from 'Lior', and it's very interesting. Also bears out what the Rabbi had to say about gun laws in Israel.

[ezypikns]

Here's a post from Lior, an Israeli member of the 'Glock Talk' forum.





Three years of gun ownership – reflections
I came back to Israel after a childhood in England at the age of 15. Three years later, my Hebrew was not yet as fluent as I would have liked it to be when I was drafted into the army. I served as an artilleryman for three years, and continue to do so in reserve duty to this day. Nowadays I like going off for some weeks as a reservist; I hated it when I was a student though. I was always sent off to the West Bank during examination holidays.

I had always taken an interest in aircraft and militaria, but did not seriously consider owning firearms until I had settled down into married life and early parenthood, at about the age of 30.

At this time, there was great unrest in Israel with our neighbors the Palestinians, with lots of people fighting each other and good people getting hurt. In response, the state ordered public security to be upped, which meant that you had to prove your innocence by submitting to searches almost every time you entered a building serving the public. For me, who had suffered considerably in the army but remained a loyal, productive soldier nonetheless, this was particularly harsh, as I felt that the country was holding a double standard towards its most productive citizens: on the one hand they could force you to wear its uniform and risk your life in the armed forces, and on the other they would require you to be wanded and frisked before you could go and take your ailing infant child to the doctor. "It's nothing personal" has never comforted me.

It took me three years, based on the criteria that the civilian gun licensing authorities imposed at the time, to qualify for owning a firearm. Then in 2004, at the age of 32, I got a permit to purchase my first and to this day only gun, a G19. Apart from the added protection and responsibility that carrying a loaded gun affords you, I suddenly felt that I had just gained my freedom. Instead of opening my bag at the multitude of security checkpoints the country still has, I started just showing my gun license and walking through unmolested. This is still the case today. Regardless of perceived need, I carry wherever I go. The country is not an overly violent one, and I have not been in any confrontations since I started carrying, at least while out of uniform. The day that gun comes off my hip, due to some new arbitrary government regulation, will be the day that I become a slave again. Out of respect for conformism, my gun remains concealed when I am out of uniform. The symbolism of gun ownership makes the hardships that I face daily bearable - including 50% personal income tax and 16 hour workdays, with no end in sight.

Although I often wonder whether the government is just a large criminal organization, I continue my national service, and volunteer as a reserve LEO, for I believe that the latter is the right thing to do in this time and place. The social contract between citizen and state, for me, is like a shard in my consciousness that I cannot ignore, however selfish my train of thought is here.

That said, gun ownership is on the decline here - both out of lack of public will and due to the government's constant crackdown on legal gun ownership in an attempt to regulate what it has no power over - illegal ownership and use of firearms. Politicians who seek lifelong careers in public service will steer clear of arms emancipation.


__________________


Lior
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." —1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Be nice and polite to everyone and carry a loaded gun.



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