Gun license applications spike in Israel after Oct. 7
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00:00 News overseas, China`s manufacturing activity shrank for a second straight month in November
00:05 and at a faster rate a survey showed. The official factory survey`s result experts believe
00:10 suggest that this indicates government intervention is needed to support economic growth. Likewise,
00:17 China`s official purchasing managers index, or PMI, went down to 49.4 in November from
00:23 49.5 in October.
00:28 Having a gun tucked underneath one`s shirt or stuck and hidden at the back of one`s pants
00:33 emboldens anyone toward self-defense or even going on the offensive. Unsurprisingly, the
00:38 October 7 surprise attack by Hamas that left at least 1,400 Israelis dead has triggered
00:44 an avalanche of applications for gun licenses in the Holy Land, which could have dire and
00:50 dangerous repercussions. As VOA`s Linda Gradstein reports.
00:56 Leila Gradstein said she had thought of getting a gun for a while, but what pushed her to
01:00 finally get one was the events of October 7, the day Hamas gunmen rampaged through more
01:06 than 20 Israeli communities and slaughtered 1,200 men, women and children.
01:11 The stories coming out of down south were unbelievable. And the like kind of silver
01:18 lining to it was that the communities did have guns in the homes that were equipped,
01:24 were able to protect themselves and it could have been a lot worse if they had not been
01:28 able to.
01:29 She came to Caliber 3, a counter-terror and defense training school, to buy a gun and
01:35 learn how to use it. She bought a Mossberg MC2C for about $1,300 and paid another $150
01:43 for the training course. Her first efforts at shooting were not successful, but she quickly
01:47 improved.
01:48 Yaakov Twety moved to Israel from France and lives in a Jerusalem neighborhood on the border
01:53 of West Bank Palestinian towns. He says he applied for a gun license just one week after
01:58 the October 7 Hamas attack because he wants to protect his wife and two young children
02:04 at home.
02:05 When we saw what happened on October 7, we decided that next time we need to be stronger
02:14 and more prepared for any scenario. I always thought about getting a gun.
02:18 I live in Jerusalem and we live it, but after what happened, it's even more.
02:23 Gun sales and training at Caliber 3 are up 2,000 percent since the Hamas attack, says
02:29 company founder Sharon Gat. He says the procedure for granting civilian gun licenses is strict.
02:35 They apply for the license, then the Ministry of Interior, here in Israel, does a background
02:43 check on them to check they're not criminals, they're not terrorists, they're not psychopaths.
02:51 Mentally and physically, they're fit to carry a weapon. And if that's okay, then they do
02:58 an interview with these people, they send them to Caliber 3 so we can check them, train
03:03 them.
03:04 Israel's hardline national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, recently eased the conditions
03:09 for Israeli civilians to get guns and announced the formation of additional civilian rapid
03:15 response security teams. Some 250,000 Israelis have applied for licenses and only four have
03:22 been refused, according to the Haaretz newspaper.
03:26 Women's groups worry that the proliferation of guns could lead to their abuse in cases
03:30 of domestic violence. Ben-Gvir's campaign to arm civilian security teams is separate
03:35 from his efforts to increase the arming of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Since October
03:40 7, Jewish settlers have killed at least nine Palestinians, according to the UN and human
03:45 rights groups. But even Israelis who don't live in the West Bank settlements or next
03:49 to the Gaza border say they're concerned about their personal safety.
03:53 I wouldn't say it made me feel powerful. More of it gives me a sense of added protection.
03:59 Like, I know our army and security forces are amazing, but they can't be there in a
04:04 split second. And so definitely being able to have that measure of control is important.
04:11 The events of October 7 have traumatized many Israelis, even if they were not personally
04:16 affected. And they say they will do whatever they can to make sure it doesn't happen again.
04:22 Linda Gradstein, VOA News, Jerusalem.
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