Berlin
Interior Minister Faeser wants to tighten gun laws and even ban automatic weapons. The resistance is foreseeable.
The private ownership of semi-automatic weapons is to be banned, crossbows and Blank pistols can only be obtained with a firearms license. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) intends to take a corresponding legislative initiative this week, according to a report in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. With the stricter rules the SPD politician draws conclusions from three incidents:
- weapons finds in the Reich Citizens Scene; there are in particular crossbows very common.
- Riots on New Year’s Eve, just with blank pistols.
- amok and acts of terrorism with semi-automatic weapons.
Semi-Automatic Weapons are very popular with sports shooters and hunters. They automatically reload a cartridge from the magazine.
Fully automatic weapons set off continuous fire. Such submachine guns or rifles are prohibited in Germany.
blank guns can be bought by anyone of legal age, the easiest way is to send it online. However, he needs a “small gun license” to carry them. Apparently, it should be necessary for the purchase in the future. The same applies to the crossbow, for which no permit is required so far. It is considered a piece of sports equipment. If Faeser prevails, around 200,000 marksmen will have to obtain a firearms license.
also read: Reichsbürger: Those who have weapons must be strictly controlled
After the New Year’s Eve riots, the interior minister announced quick and decisive reactions. But that doesn’t mean that you 48-page draft law would be a sure-fire success politically. On the contrary.
Weapons law: FDP speaks of “unnecessary patronage”
FDP domestic politician Konstantin Kuhle criticizes the plans. The current law has long allowed for the disarmament of Reich citizens and enemies of the constitution, he told our editorial team. He speaks of one “unnecessary patronage”. His party friend and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann is also considered a skeptic. The Liberals are in a strong position.
Because the coalition agreement does not provide for any tightening. Rather, the previous legal practice “together with the rifle and hunting associations and with the federal states” be evaluated.
Faeser: You can be sure that the gun lobby will resist you
Even Faeser’s predecessor Seehofer (CSU) had failed due to the resistance of the rifle lobby. There is also a risk of trouble now that regulation would increase. So Faeser wants every new gun owner “at their own expense”. medical or psychological certificate about its suitability. So far, this only applied to buyers under the age of 25.
You might also be interested in: New laws: This is how the state arms itself against Reich citizens
Faeser also faces resistance from the federal states because the gun authorities in the municipalities are already overloaded. There would be an additional control effort. Faeser hopes to win the next conference of interior ministers over to her plan. Her Berlin counterpart and party friend Iris Spranger is in the chair.
Gun laws: are the control authorities threatened with “collapse”?
Even Faeser’s party friend and police expert Sebastian Fiedler warns that everyone must be aware “that the weapons authorities in the federal states are staff shortage In some cases there are considerable deficits in implementation.” As a result, for example, meaningful and unannounced on-site inspections could often not take place, he told our editorial team.
This must be taken into account if several million alarm guns are to be registered and administered there. What’s more: If the countries don’t position themselves better, “that could otherwise bring the weapons authorities to collapse,” he warned.
Kuhle points out that gun laws have been “tightened several times” in recent years. For him they are illegal firearms the actual problem. “Neither the police crime statistics nor the federal situation report on firearms crime currently differentiate between legal and illegal weapons,” he complained.
Gun Law: Five million privately owned guns
“In future, both statistics should explicitly show whether a crime was committed with an illegal or a legal weapon,” he said. It’s also a big problem for Fiedler “that there hasn’t been any comprehensive evaluation of what crimes have been committed with legal or illegal weapons.” Changes in gun laws must “real security gain” bring.
In Germany, for example 225,000 semi-automatic weapons circulate – 60 percent of them privately owned. The National Weapons Register puts the legal private ownership of weapons at a good five million.
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