Prosecutors are considering indicting the former head of the Firearms Licensing Division on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust over the approval of tens of thousands of civilian gun permits after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
The State Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that Israel Avishar, who led the firearms licensing division in the National Security Ministry, had been informed that State Attorney Amit Aisman was weighing criminal charges against him, subject to a pre-indictment hearing.
According to prosecutors, Avishar allegedly allowed people who were not legally authorized to process firearm applications and issue permits. Those officials approved about 23,000 conditional gun permits and approximately 15,000 final licenses, the prosecution said.
The case was investigated by Lahav 433’s national fraud investigations unit.
The alleged offenses took place as authorities dramatically expanded civilian gun licensing following the October 7 attack and the outbreak of the war. Demand surged as the government encouraged eligible civilians to arm themselves, creating a backlog of roughly 250,000 applications.
Avishar resigned in December 2023, about two months after the attack, after acknowledging during a Knesset hearing that firearm permits may have been approved by people who lacked the required authorization.
At the time, he warned that the accelerated system was not operating properly and called for a return to in-person interviews with applicants rather than relying heavily on brief telephone screenings.
The licensing process had been expanded through emergency call centers staffed by National Security Ministry personnel, political appointees, national service volunteers and Knesset employees. Some applicants were interviewed by telephone instead of in person.
Avishar told lawmakers that one licensing center had been operated inside National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s office by staff appointed to positions of trust by the minister. He said applications approved through that process needed to be reviewed again.
Opposition lawmakers Gilad Kariv and Yoav Segalovich called at the time for a criminal investigation into Ben-Gvir’s role in the licensing policy.
Mickey Levy, who chaired the Knesset State Control Committee, warned that the rapid approval system carried life-and-death consequences and urged the ministry to suspend the process and reassess it.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
(Photo: Elad Gershgoren)
Ben-Gvir defended the policy, arguing that as many eligible civilians as possible needed to be armed during wartime. His office said anyone unwilling to implement that policy could not continue leading the Firearms Licensing Division.
In the days before his resignation, Avishar met with Ben-Gvir and asked him to reconsider the ministry’s licensing policy, which had been expanded by easing some of the eligibility requirements for a civilian firearm license.
Ben-Gvir refused to change course.
In his resignation letter, Avishar described disorder and a lack of control in the licensing system. He said the division had worked to implement the minister’s policy but could no longer guarantee a professional and properly supervised process under the emergency procedures.
“After eight weeks of war, and with a clear view of the problematic situation, we must immediately stop the current method of operation,” Avishar wrote.
He added that under the existing system, it was difficult to ensure that private firearm licenses were issued through a professional and lawful process.
The allegations against Avishar do not amount to a criminal conviction. He will be entitled to present his arguments at a hearing before prosecutors decide whether to file an indictment.