[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

In a ceremony held in the office of Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan on Thursday, 25 Shevat, pistol permits were given to 340 veterans from the elite Duvdevan unit as part of Erdan’s effort to place licensed guns in the correct hands. During recent months there have been numerous cases in which civilians fired at terrorists with their licensed weapon, thereby neutralizing an attack.

As part of his ongoing effort, hundreds of permits have recently been given to veterans of elite units. It is reported that the ministry has been working to cut the bureaucratic process of receiving a permit.

Over 15,000 requests have been filed since October 2015 as compared to 3,000 during the same time period last year. 11,500 of those requests have already been approved and issued.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Media Resource Group)