Reservists serving in combat units who hold licensed private firearms are being instructed not to bring their personal pistols with them when called up for active reserve duty, according to a report in the upcoming edition of the religious-Zionist weekly Matzav HaRuach.
The report says reserve officers were told during pre-deployment briefings that soldiers are prohibited from bringing privately owned pistols to service and must comply with existing regulations governing firearm storage.
Under National Security Ministry guidelines, licensed firearm owners who will be away from home for more than 48 hours, with no other adult remaining in the residence, are required to deposit their weapon for safekeeping with a licensed firearms dealer. Owners must also ensure that any safe used for storage meets the ministry’s required standards.
According to the report, the new IDF directive means many reservists will have to pay hundreds of shekels each month to store their personal firearms, despite spending the entire reserve period armed with an IDF-issued weapon and serving in operational roles.
Some reservists who questioned the policy said they were told there would be "no exceptions" and that "there is nothing to argue."
The IDF Spokesperson confirmed the directive, saying it was introduced for safety reasons. "This is a command decision stemming from safety considerations. During operational deployment, each reservist is issued an IDF weapon appropriate to his role and mission. At the same time, in specific cases and as needed, exemptions can be granted."