Increased burglary figures, attacks on New Year's Eve in Cologne and a diffuse fear of terrorist attacks: Many people in Germany are unsettled.More and more want to be able to defend themselves if necessary.
In November 2015, according to the national gun register (NWR), around 275,000 people in Germany had a small gun license.A few months later, the number rose - around 300,000 small guns notes were already stored in the NWR at the end of January 2016.The increase rate is somewhat higher - compared to the development of entries from 2013 to 2015.
Basically, everyone in Germany can freely acquire these weapons from the age of 18.Provided you have the seal of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB).In your own four walls, you can even keep owners without official approval.You need a small gun license when you carry fright shot, gas or signal weapons on the go.The appearance only applies in connection with a valid ID card or pass.If there is no weapon permit, this is a criminal offense, explains Frank Scheulen from the State Criminal Police Office of North Rhine-Westphalia.It can be punished with a prison sentence for up to three years or a fine.
To apply for a small gun license, you have to be at least 18 years old.Depending on the municipality, the certificate issues the regulatory office, the police or the district administration.Further prerequisites are reliability and personal suitability - this includes that you must not have any criminal records.For this purpose, the processing authority compares the applicant's information with any entries in the Federal Central Register and the public prosecutor.A certificate of expertise or liability insurance is not necessary for the application, says a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Basically, the following applies: Shooting with these weapons is prohibited - unless there is a case of self -defense and the emergency.At events such as folk festivals, sports festivals, trade fairs or exhibitions, bundle, irritant and signal weapons may not be carried- not even with a small gun license, explains the ministry spokesman.
Scheulen advises against purchasing frame, irritant and signal weapons abroad and using it in Germany.They often do not fulfill the German legal norms for permission -free acquisition and property.Then the purchase of the weapon is already punishable.
Anxiety researcher Prof. Borwin Bandelow warns that overreactions can quickly occur.The deputy director of the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Göttingen gives an example: Under certain circumstances, someone in a dangerous situation is unable to target pepper spray against a perpetrator.So you can accidentally injure yourself in a scramble.
Scheulen advises: "If you see mobbing people, it could be the better decision to avoid a wide arc."If you are in a threatening situation, you should rather draw attention to yourself by screaming or whistling.
dpa
