New regulations barring security guards from taking their guns home with them after their shift took effect today. The new regulations were instituted after several fatal shootings by off-duty security guards. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said guns belonging to security guards have been responsible for 30 murders over the past decade.
However, the new regulations will only be partially enforced. Some 5000 security guards at Israeli schools, which began the new school year today, will continue to take their guns home with them as weapons may not be stored on school property.
Overall, said ACRI, among Israel’s population of just over 8 million, there are 290,000 registered civilian weapons. Some 160,000 are registered to private individuals and the rest to organizations including security companies.