In addition, according to police union estimates, there are up to 20 million additional weapons illegally held in Germany, or about 30 weapons per 100 people. In a debate over stricter gun control following a school shooting that killed 16 people, German weapons expert Holger Soschinka claimed: “Germany has one of the strictest gun laws in the world – and that`s enough.” [1] Others, however, criticized it as too lax, arguing that increased control was needed, with one anti-gun group calling the law “unconstitutional” because it “puts the interests of sport shooters above people`s right to life and physical integrity.” [1] Heirs of legal firearms can obtain a licence without having to prove their expertise or a credible reason, but the gun must then be blocked by a gun dealer. A firearms possession card only allows firearms owners to “carry” a firearm instead of carrying it. This means that it must be unloaded and in a locked suitcase when it is out in public. But for those with a gun license, German law contains no provision that determines whether a firearm should be hidden or loaded in public. However, despite their intentions, not all of these laws have succeeded in completely stopping the use and possession of weapons. To remedy this situation and fully comply with the treaty, the Firearms and Ammunition Act was enacted in 1928. He relaxed restrictions on the possession of firearms (but not on their use and instructions for their use, as these were still illegal under the Treaty of Versailles) and introduced a strict gun licensing system. Under this system, Germans could own firearms, but had to have separate permits to do the following: possess or sell firearms, carry firearms (including handguns), manufacture firearms, and trade firearms and ammunition professionally. In addition, the law limited gun ownership to “. Persons whose reliability is not in question and who can prove the need for a (weapons) licence. 2.
A small arms licence was introduced in 2002. It can be purchased without specialized knowledge, necessity or compulsory insurance. The only requirements are that the applicant be of legal age, trustworthy and personally appropriate. It authorizes the licensee to carry gas guns (naked and irritating) and flares in public. These types of firearms are freely accessible to adults; Only the effective exercise of the public domain requires authorization. Similar to the full permit, transportation at public events is prohibited. The Czech Republic challenged the ban on semi-automatic rifles for private use. However, the actions of the European Parliament and the European Council do not violate legal principles, the EU`s highest court said. (04.12.2019) Dagmar Ellerbrock, historian and specialist in the history of weapons at the Technical University of Dresden: “It is high time that we try to make it more difficult for these political groups to at least find their way through the gun associations.” Between 2002 and 2009, there were three major incidents of young men shooting at their former high schools, and in 2020, a racially motivated gunman shot dead 11 people and injured many others in an attack on two shisha bars in Hanau. The attacker was legally allowed to possess firearms, although he had previously sent right-wing extremist letters to authorities. They also ban fully automatic weapons and severely restrict the acquisition of other types of weapons. The new law also strengthened the requirements for those authorized to use weapons.
The rules on the storage of weapons have been strengthened; some weapons, mainly used in violent crimes, have been banned; and the use of air rifles and blank firing rifles has been further regulated. German law distinguishes between weapons and weapons of war, the latter being listed in the War Weapons Control Act. There is also a small firearms licence, which is easier to obtain and is required to carry weapons of lesser power, such as air guns, starter guns, flares, or anything that can only fire blank or irritating guns. On August 7, 1920, growing fears about whether or not Germany might have rebellions prompted the government to enact a second firearms law, the People`s Disarmament Act. He brought into force the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles relating to the limitation of military arms. About 2 million people in Germany own more than 5.5 million legal weapons for a population of more than 80 million. The first amendment entered into force on 1 April 2008. The purpose of this amendment was to ban certain types of weapons such as airsoft weapons, tasers, exposed weapons and blade knives longer than 12 cm in public places.
They can always be transported in sealed packaging and for professional or ceremonial purposes. Their use in private places and in non-public places such as shooting clubs is not restricted. The 1938 regulation against Jewish gun ownership, which went into effect the day after Kristallnacht,[12][13] deprived all Jews living under Nazi rule of the right to possess any form of weapons, including batons, knives, firearms, and ammunition. Exceptions were made for Jews and Poles who were foreigners in accordance with article 3 of the law. [14] Previously, some police forces used the pre-existing “reliability clause” to disarm Jews, arguing that “the Jewish population `cannot be considered trustworthy.` [9] The German Weapons Act of 1938, the forerunner of today`s Weapons Act, replaced the 1928 Act. As under the 1928 Act, citizens had to have a licence to carry a firearm and a separate licence to acquire a firearm. But under the new law: Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said the government`s goal was “not to have weapons in the hands of extremists.” As part of reforms passed after a 2009 mass shooting, gun owners are also subject to ongoing government scrutiny, with officials being able to ask gun owners to enter their private property at any time and verify that they are properly stockpiling their guns. The Weapons Act 1976 was replaced, with effect from 1 April 2003, by two new laws: the Weapons Act and the Evidence of Weapons and Ammunition Act. It was last amended with effect from 25 November 2012. The Weapons Act guarantees public safety and order and regulates weapons and ammunition: who can acquire, possess and carry weapons and who can manufacture and sell them. The Law on the Examination of Evidence of Weapons and Ammunition aims to ensure that weapons and ammunition can be used safely.
First of all, it should be noted that German law allows you to use all means at your disposal that are necessary to avoid imminent danger to your physical well-being or that of another person (even if they are illegal, although you are then charged with illegal possession/carrying of weapons). The second thing is that the best type of combat is the one you can avoid. In general, it is much better to swallow your pride and run for it than to fight head-on. The RND media group reported that two weapons are currently registered on the license, which was last verified in 2019, and that the murder weapon is a Glock 17 9-millimeter Luger, which Tobias R. bought legally from an online store. Google is a bit fuzzy on the subject. Pepper spray is illegal against humans, but I don`t think I`m allowed to carry a knife either. In recent years, Germany`s gun control law has been repeatedly reformed to further strengthen it. A new gun law came into force in 2003 after the purchase of a school in Erfurt in which a student killed sixteen people. The new legislation restricted the use of large calibre weapons by youth and strengthened requirements for the safe storage of firearms. The alleged shooter of a far-right gun attack in Hanau reportedly legally possessed a gun license and several handguns. DW deals with German gun ownership laws.
While the possession of firearms is widespread,[2] and federations and shooting ranges for shooting sports and the use of historical weapons and weapons are not prohibited at festivals, the use of weapons for private self-defense is restricted.