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The Internal Security Ministry, also in charge of weapon permits, has made several confusing decisions on the matter – some of whom seem outright ridiculous to security personnel.
What do you think about the following scenario: A police officer feels that he’s not proficient enough with his service pistol. He goes to a private firing range and wants to pay for a training session. The ammo, the trainer – it’s all on him. And still, the range manager informs the police officer that he’s not allowed to use his facilities.
According to the Internal Security Ministry the police officer is a civilian first and foremost, and as such doesn’t have a weapons permit. He can carry a weapon when he’s on duty, but can’t train with it in his time off. If you don’t believe it talk to many frustrated officers yourselves. Even police officers that were approved for additional training by their station chief were turned down.
And that’s not all. An IDF officer goes to a firing range for pistol training, using the facility’s weapons – while carrying his assault rifle slung over his shoulder, mind you. He’s turned down too. And there’s more. A Major is discharged from the regular and reserve services and wants to purchase a pistol. The Internal Security Ministry refuses. But if the officer was a Lieutenant-Colonel he could have gotten the permit. So what if the Major was an elite commando and the Lieutenant-Colonel had a desk job? The Internal Security Ministry doesn’t care.
IHLS – Israel Homeland Security
And there’s more. A citizen with a permit wants to replace his old and perhaps malfunctioning pistol. His request is denied. His only option is to hand the old pistol in for destruction. Why? The citizen doesn’t qualify for a new weapons permit, the criteria were updated since he got the old one. Now that’s logic.
And all that is happening while, according to police records, Israeli citizens possess more than 300,000 illegal weapons. Guns, rifles and submachine guns.
Someone in the Internal Security Ministry got it all wrong. Law abiding citizens can’t get weapon permits or replace malfunctioning weapons. Criminals, meanwhile, have an entire arsenal, and can choose which weapon to carry that day – maybe something big for a heavy duty assignment, maybe something smaller for some precision shooting.
