Can you shoot a blank gun on New Year’s Eve? Is that allowed or forbidden? And what are the penalties? The basic requirement for shooting with a blank gun on New Year’s Eve is one Shooting license according to the Weapons Act: the so-called “Small Gun License”. But there are exceptions, for example on one’s own “pacified property”.
Anyone who fires cartridge ammunition or pyrotechnics with such weapons without permission misses, commits one violation according to the gun law. That Carrying such a weapon without a gun license is also under Penalty. In the following we tell you what you absolutely have to consider when you shoot with a blank gun on New Year’s Eve want.
Firearm: There is a risk of a fine or imprisonment
For the Use of signal weapons and blank guns outside your own four walls you need one small gun license – also on New Year’s Eve.
Admittedly, adults in Germany are allowed to purchase alarm and signal weapons (SRS weapons), but that Wielding such a weapon outside of one’s own property without the small firearms license provides one offense The consequence: one fine or even one imprisonment of up to three years.
So be careful on New Year’s Eve: If you don’t have a small firearms license, you’re not allowed to “wield” your firearm, just carry it transport – unloaded in a sealed container.
The small gun license does not automatically entitle you to shoot
That Shooting a firearm outside of an approved shooting range or on your own property is fundamental forbidden. Important: also who one small gun license for Blanket, irritant and signal weapon is only authorized to carry his weapon outside his own property – but not to shoot.
Shooting with cartridge ammunition (i.e. cartridges that do not contain a projectile, such as gas or blank cartridges) and pyrotechnic ammunition in “own pacified possession” permissible or if the owner of the domiciliary rights has agreed (e.g. the friend with whom you celebrate New Year’s Eve). But only under certain conditions.
It’s only allowed Weapons and ammunition purchased without a permit be used and the weapons must be provided with the sign “PTB” in a circle. This is the seal of approval Physical-Technical Federal Institute. If this seal is missing, the weapon is considered “sharp”. And for that you need a large firearms license.
The number of small gun licenses in Germany has risen sharply
the Number of small gun licenses has been in Germany since 2014 increased more than threefold.
There was 2014 still 261,332 Small gun licenses, that’s how it was At the end of October 2018 already 599,940. This corresponds to a nationwide increase of around 130 percent. the Rheinische Post reports, citing the Federal Ministry of the Interior, that end of April 2022 in the National Gun Register 756,619 small gun licenses were registered – 16,581 more than at the beginning of the year. The increase affects all federal states.
