Posted on 07/09/23
| News Source: Times of Israel
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has agreed with police on a new policy toward civilians who shoot terrorists during attacks whereby their weapons will not be confiscated and they will not be investigated, according to a Saturday report.
The new guidelines are intended to encourage citizens to bear arms and use them when necessary, according to Channel 12, as part of Ben Gvir’s larger efforts to ensure a greater number of armed Israelis on the streets to tackle terror attacks.
There was no immediate confirmation from the police.
Currently, a civilian who shoots an assailant usually has their firearm taken away as part of the investigation, sometimes for lengthy periods of time. They are also often summoned for questioning, sometimes under caution of potential wrongdoing (though it is exceedingly rare for a person to face any charges).
The new policy will be used under the following conditions, the report said: that the incident is a nationalistic terror attack; that the shooter acted in self-defense; that only the attacker was hit or killed; and that the civilian stopped firing the moment the danger had passed.
In such cases, the firearm will be examined at the scene by police before being returned to the civilian, and the person will not be probed under caution.