Licensing Once you have a gun license, it shouldn’t be gun specific like it is now. If you have a pistol license, it should be for any pistol(s). The current limitation is part of the overreaching restrictions on gun ownership in Israel.
Gun registration A gun should be licensed to a specific owner, but you should be able to permit any valid gun license holder access to your gun.
The law right now makes you personally responsible for a single weapon, and I see the logic they’re working with, but if a husband and wife each have a gun license, they should be able to share the same weapon. As I understand it, it is illegal for a husband to give his wife his gun to hold for him, even if she also has a gun license for a different weapon.
Number of guns A gun license holder should be allowed to own at least 3 guns. Sometimes you need or want to own more than 1 gun. For instance, a small ankle pistol if you are going to a wedding in Tel Aviv, but a normal sized gun for when you are driving in a dangerous area, and the gun you safely store at home, for home defense.
Rifles and shotguns I won’t deny I have mixed feelings about private ownership of rifles and shotguns. Currently you can get a rifle from the army if you need one, and a shotgun if you’re a licensed hunter. I will hold off expressing a definite opinion on this category.
Number of bullets That number should be increased to 100 (from 50).
If you’re shooting in a range, you can currently buy as many as you need for training.
For self defense, 100 bullets is better than 50. If you have extended length 30-bullet Glock magazines, 50 is not enough. Certainly, if you have 3 different guns, 50 bullets is also not enough.
Storage You must own a gun safe. Part of the initial gun registration process must include showing documentation proving you own a gun safe.
Stolen gun If your gun was stolen, and it wasn’t properly stored in a safe, then there should be a NIS 10,000 fine. That would induce gun owners to properly store their weapons.
License renewal That I wouldn’t change — a rubber stamp from a doctor, shoot 50 bullets, quick update, instruction and reminder of gun safety laws, and you’re done.
Non-licensed shooters The Israeli police do not allow non-licensed civilians to shoot weapons larger than .22 caliber.
This means, the average Israeli is not allowed to go down to a shooting range, with a licensed instructor, and shoot a standard 9mm pistol, even under official supervision.
That’s just another example of government over-control.
Conclusion I believe this article presents a good balance of increasing access to personal weapons for civilians, while augmenting responsibility, training and safety among gun owners.
How would you change Israel’s gun control laws?