Mental health issues may be underreported on gun license requests - comptroller

As the rate of harm to mental health in the country increased, the number of gun license requests being sent to the Health Ministry for review should have remained constant or increased.

By EVE YOUNG FEBRUARY 26, 2025 16:41

A gun with bullets on table (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The proportion of gun license requests passed to the Health Ministry for additional medical review shrank from 10 to just 3% in 2023 and 2024, according to a comptroller report released last week.

This raises concerns of under-reporting of mental health issues, the report explained, stating that as the rate of harm to mental health in the country increased over that period, the number of gun license requests being sent to the Health Ministry for review should have remained constant or increased.

Gun license requests are passed to the Health Ministry for review when the individual filling the request out states that he or she is being treated by a psychologist or is taking psychiatric medication, among other situations.

A family doctor reviewing a request can also mark the request to have it sent to the health ministry for review.

The report also found that the Health Ministry and National Security Ministry have not made necessary adjustments to improve supervision of license approvals in spite of the uptick in those needing mental health care in the wake of the war.

Depression (illustrative) (credit: ING IMAGE)

The National Security Ministry has also not updated the request form to include the question of whether or not those requesting licenses have suicidal thoughts, in spite of the Health Ministry providing the phrasing for this question in November 2023, the report said.

Requests skyrocketing in wake of war

The report highlighted that the number of requests for gun licenses has grown over the last few years, skyrocketing in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

The number of requests climbed from around 9,000 requests in 2020 to around 43,500 requests in 2022.

Between October 8, 2023 and October 7, 2024, around 350,000 requests were submitted - more than eight times as many as the same period in the prior years, the report stressed.