Feiga Tavnes’s gun license and pistol have been returned to her following the acceptance of an appeal filed by Honenu Attorney Adi Kedar.

In October 2015 the Internal Security Ministry informed a 55-year-old resident of the Old City of Jerusalem, Feiga Tavnes, that her personal defense weapon license had been revoked by recommendation of the police because she was suspected of “davening on Har Habayis”.

Tavnes has been a resident of the Old City of Jerusalem for approximately 35 years and for the past 35 years had held a gun license and owns a pistol. She had never been investigated or encountered problems with law enforcement authorities.

The reason for revoking her gun license was given in a letter sent to her from the Internal Security Ministry and is as follows: “Recommendation by the Israeli Police: The above-mentioned davened on Har Habayis and therefore due to the danger she poses we recommend that her [personal defense weapon] license be canceled.”

Tavnes had never been investigated by the police for davening on Har Habayis, and even if she had davened, this is not legal grounds for revoking a gun license. In the past, Tavnes’s husband was stabbed near their home and in light of the mayor of Jerusalem’s call (at the time Tavnes’s license was revoked) for every license-holding citizen to carry his/her gun, revoking her license was particularly unjust and absurd.

Honenu Attorney Adi Kedar, to whom Tavnes turned for legal counsel, quickly filed an appeal, however Tavnes was forced to deposit her weapon with the police until she received a reply to the appeal.

After several months during which Tavnes was not able to carry a weapon for personal defense, the police announced that Kedar’s appeal had been accepted and that, “After reexamination” there was no reason that Tavnes could not hold a gun license. Over the past few days Tavnes’s gun license was returned to her and then so was her pistol.

Honenu constantly handles requests from residents of Jerusalem, Yehuda, and Shomron, including from IDF reserve officers and members of rapid response squads, whose gun licenses have been revoked. During the week of Sunday, January 24 Honenu received notice that an appeal filed by Kedar on behalf of a Gush Shilo resident had been accepted. His gun license had been revoked in connection with an old case that ended approximately five years previously without him being convicted. Also a weapon was recently returned to a member of a rapid response squad in a Shomron community against whom a case was opened for entering a closed military zone.

Kedar: “I am pleased that my client’s gun license has been returned to her. However, one must remember that we are dealing with residents of Yehuda, Shomron and certain neighborhoods in Jerusalem who are unfortunately under threat of terror attacks on a daily basis. There have been many instances in which they have been unnecessarily deprived of their weapons for no reason. We call on the Prime Minister and the appropriate minister to reexamine the general conduct of the Internal Security Ministry concerning the matter of licensing weapons. I sincerely hope that until then no lives will be lost, G-d forbid, due to this conduct.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)