M-16
M-16istock

Residents of settlements in Judea and Samaria are demanding that the IDF permit them to carry assault rifles for their own protection, such as the M-16 or M-4 models, in light of the increased number of attacks on the roads in the region, Israel Hayom reported.

The residents said that the IDF has acted in recent years to reduce them number of assault weapons in the settlements, often at the expense of the residents' security.

Residents of Judea and Samaria who meet the criteria of the Weapons Licensing Division in the Public Security Ministry may obtain a gun license, and many do so, but unlike the situation in the past where it was possible to obtain an assault rifle, with the understanding that there are areas where a weapon with a range greater than the ten meters of a standard handgun is needed , today the vast majority of requests to receive a firearm with a long range are not accepted.

A senior security official in Judea and Samaria says that for several years the IDF has been making efforts to reduce as much as possible the number of weapons in the hands of civilians, apparently out of fear that these will be stolen.

"There is a clear trend in which residents are not allowed to get guns, and weapons are taken from those who own them. This is unfair and illogical. If you look at the numbers of thefts from private homes, you will find that they are insignificant compared to thefts from bases, and yet residents find that their weapons are being taken away," the source said.