Data from the Firearms Licensing and Supervision Division at the Ministry of National Security indicates a dramatic rise in civilian requests for personal weapons. Over the past 24 hours, applications for private firearm licenses have increased by 145 percent.
In addition, calls to the division’s hotline rose by 75 percent compared to the daily average recorded last week.
The surge follows the murderous attack that took place yesterday at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem, in which six civilians were murdered. The terrorists were neutralized by two armed civilians, one of whom had received a personal weapons license approximately a year ago under the reform advanced by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Minister Ben Gvir stated: “Weapons in the hands of civilians have been proven to simply save lives. Those who can should arm themselves.”
Last night, Ben Gvir spoke with Y., a Haredi man who has been armed since the reform and took part in neutralizing the terrorist. Y. recounted:
“This is a heavenly mission. I am not usually on this route and I arrived there because of an unusual delay. I was protected throughout the event and I gained strength and courage. I will admit that I have no training for events of this type. At first I thought about running away, but I saw a heroic guy in a white shirt who pulled out a weapon and I joined him. We managed to save people without getting hurt.”
The minister responded: “You are simply heroes and I am really proud of you. I wish there were no attacks and that we would not need you to do this, but when they do happen, it is wonderful that there are people like you.”