There are around 400,000 illegal weapons circulating in Israel, a report presented to the Knesset last week warned.
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According to the 2020 review, the vast majority of illegal weapons are found in Arab communities, which have seen a surge in violent crimes in recent years.
A recent report by the State Comptroller's Office found that gun violence has been on the rise every year since 2017. In 2020, a record 10,874 shooting incidents were reported.
The grim data prompted Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar to promote a bill proposed by New Hope MK Sharren Haskel, seeking to mandate a minimum sentence for the possession and trafficking of illegal firearms.
The bill passed last week, setting a temporary provision by which those convicted of possession or trafficking in illegal firearms will be sentenced to the equivalent of a quarter of the maximum penalty for the crime.
Israel's Penal Code states that firearm offenses carry a sentence of between seven and 15 years. The bill further states that such convictions would entail actual jail time – not a suspended sentence.
Sa'ar welcomed the passage of the bill, saying that his New Hope party was fulfilling an electoral promise to deal with the problem of illegal weapons.
"Punishments that deter are needed to deal with the national scourge of illegal weapons," he tweeted. "We will continue to work to restore law and order throughout the country."
According to police data and the Knesset's report, the majority of the illegal weapons found in Israel are stolen from military bases and range from handguns to assault rifles and submachine guns.
"There are pretty much four main avenues for illegal guns. The biggest one is stolen military weapons," i24NEWS science and technology correspondent Ariel Levin-Waldman explained.
"Policy-wise, when it comes down to ownership, about 7% of the population here has access to a firearm permit, but the permitting process is extraordinarily difficult. You have to show a few key things before the Internal Security Ministry will allow you to get a firearm."
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Unlike the United States, Israel does not offer its citizens any "right to bear arms" within its framework of basic laws. In fact – and contrary to common misconception – the Jewish state has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the world.
Moreover, unlike in the US, where guns are readily available for purchase, even Israelis who have completed their military service cannot apply for a license before the age of 20. Those who did not serve in the IDF, for whatever reason, have to wait until they're 27 to seek a firearm license.
All applicants are required to provide proof of compliance with a long list of requirements and the type of firearm and number of bullets that a licensed firearm holder is permitted to purchase is limited.
Each type of firearm requires a separate license and assault rifles are off-limits – the most a civilian can apply for is a pistol.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
