Beersheba Residents Granted Eligibility for Personal Firearm Licenses Under Expanded Gun Reform

Beersheba, the largest city in Israel's Negev region, has been added to the growing list of municipalities whose residents are eligible to apply for personal firearm licenses. Tens of thousands of Beersheba residents will now be able to submit applications, provided they meet the legal criteria and conditions. This move follows similar recent eligibility expansions in cities like Hadera and Rosh HaAyin, and joins other large cities such as Jerusalem, Netanya, and Ashdod, where certain neighborhoods have already been recognized as eligible areas.

Since the gun reform began, over 280,000 Israeli citizens have received personal firearm licenses, and more than 200 municipalities have been designated as eligible. The decision to include Beersheba was made after thorough professional evaluations by the Israel Police, the Firearms Licensing and Control Department, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The reform has seen rapid growth in eligible areas: from only six municipalities in 2021, to 23 in 2023, 21 in 2024, 80 in 2025, and already 126 in 2026. Minister Ben-Gvir stated, "I am proud to continue the gun revolution and expand it to the Negev capital. Residents of Beersheba, like all Israeli citizens, have a basic right to protect themselves and their families. We will continue to expand the gun reform, adding more cities, towns, and neighborhoods to eligibility, ensuring that as many citizens as possible can defend themselves and the State of Israel. My policy is clear: guns in the right hands save lives."