Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has called for tighter gun control following new years’ riots and a far-right coup that have recently shaken Germany, though her very own coalition partners may well thwart such plans.
According to a draft document cited by public broadcaster ARD, the interior ministry plans to ban private ownership of semi-automatic rifles, while a firearms licence would be needed to acquire blank guns or crossbows.
Moreover, anyone buying a weapon would need to present a medical and psychological certificate, something that currently only applies to under-25-year-olds.
The Social Democratic interior minister had initially promised stricter weapon laws in December after 25 people suspected of having planned an armed attack on parliament were arrested in police raids. Recently, outbreaks of violence, including against police forces, during the night of New Year’s Eve had rekindled the debate.
“The ban on semi-automatic firearms resembling weapons of war is intended to reduce the availability of these weapons,” the ministry draft reads.
“These weapons are particularly attractive to certain groups of people and perpetrators, who are highly relevant for amok and terrorist acts,” it added.
But Faeser’s push could be blocked by his liberal coalition partner FDP which has come out against tightening arms control and is instead calling to better apply existing legislation.
“We have strict weapon laws in Germany,” liberal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann told Redaktionsnetzwerk.
“But even the strictest weapon laws do not really help if people acquire weapons illegally,” he added.
(Julia Dahm | EURACTIV.de)
Source: euractiv.com
