Gun ownership in Germany?
- Thread starter SIGfiend
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Shootcraps
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Yes. There is a big gun culture in Germany. They have lots of Scheutzen Fests as well. And some of the prettiest shotguns you ever saw.
"I ask because I know a lot of west Europe has some harsh gun control like Britain...no handguns"
Hey, you american guys have so many misinformation about guns in Europe...at least as many as European have about US gun laws
)
There are more than 10 million legally held firearms is Germany.
Sportshooting is the 4th largest sport in that country.
For targetshooting (and for hunter selfdefence) you can have handguns, and even very-military style semiauto rifles. A company even advertises semiauto MG42 in the Visier magazine)
The greatest problem: there is no CCW for normal civilan.
Hey, you american guys have so many misinformation about guns in Europe...at least as many as European have about US gun laws
)There are more than 10 million legally held firearms is Germany.
Sportshooting is the 4th largest sport in that country.
For targetshooting (and for hunter selfdefence) you can have handguns, and even very-military style semiauto rifles. A company even advertises semiauto MG42 in the Visier magazine
)The greatest problem: there is no CCW for normal civilan.
MaterDei
Member
What are the handgun laws like? What firearms can be kept at home and what are the laws regarding self defense with a firearm in your home.
When I lived in Germany I used to walk around in the woods all the time with an M-16 and a 1911 open carry.
When I lived in Germany I used to walk around in the woods all the time with an M-16 and a 1911 open carry.
The only country I can think of beside Britain, is Ireland. I think they've had a handgun ban since around 1970. In most of Western Europe anyone can own a guns, including handguns - as long as you deal with the red tape. Several countries have a serious shooting culture. Note that I say "shooting culture", as opposed to "gun culture", although the two are of course overlapping. I think that it is more about enjoying the shooting sports than just owning a gun, and perhaps less of a political statement than it is to many Americans. Just my random thoughts, not based on statistics, science or devine revelation.
I read somewhere that gun sales in Germany have been as high or higher than in the US for the past several years. Relative to the size of the population, of course. That's probably not unique among countries in Western Europe.
Quite a few Germans do that as well. Except they have better taste with regards to the choice of guns.
Bear Gulch
Member
I was shocked while watching Cowboys on OLN this weekend. They were showing a SASS type shoot in the Czech Republic.
mussi
Member
Les Americains ont oubliés les Suisses...
At least one more country on this planet is awash in über-evil assault weapons not many THRs would forego to sell their whole whiskey stock for....
At least one more country on this planet is awash in über-evil assault weapons not many THRs would forego to sell their whole whiskey stock for....
Fenris Wolf
Member
You have to be at least one year member in a shooting club and train once every month (or 18 times the whole year) to apply for a gun licence. Then you are allowed to buy two weapons in six month (so the maximum of weapons you can buy every year is four).
To buy a weapon to have to prove a neccesity (I hope this is the right word...), e.g. "I want to train IPSC Prodcution class and need a weapon in .40 S&W.". Then you get a pice of paper and can go to a dealer to buy any weapon in .40 S&W. You can also buy any smaller "change system" for this gun without problems (e.g. 9mm Luger), but not a bigger system like .45 ACP.
If you want another gun you have to prove a neccesity again. Lets say the first gun was a HK Expert .40S&W for IPSC and you now want to start in the "Duty pistol" event of a shooting federation you cannot use the H&K Expert because it is not a gun used by any military or police. So you are allowed to buy another gun which you can use in this event (e.g. H&K P7).
You can buy two guns without any problems. If you want more you have to prove that you cannot use one of your guns in the new events you want to train. Or you need a better gun to compete in an event (e.g. you did some matches and found out that you are really good but you could be better with another gun - e.g. you already have a gun for the IPSC Open division but you need a better one).
The guns have to be stored in a gun safe. There a serveral classes (A, B, 0, 1). It is a little bit difficult to explain the details, but to shorten it:
In a "class B" safe you cannot store a gun together with the ammo. If you want to store a loaded gun you need a "class 0" or "1" safe.
You can have all of your guns at home.
The german self-defense law is that you are allowed to use a gun to stop an attack against persons, but not against "things" -> if you see someone robbing your car in front your house you are not allowed to shoot. You are also not allowed to use a gun if the attack is over (e.g. the intruder is running away). Of course the law is a more difficult, but to explain the whole law it would need two pages...
---------------
Semiautomatic rifles:
Until last year we had a law similar to the Assault weapon ban in the USA. Guns that looked like automatic weapons were banned. Remember the grey H&K SL-8 ?
Since last year we are allowed to buy weapons that look like full-auto weapons. H&K G3 clones, M16 clones, etc. Some guns are restricted to people with a hunting licence because of the barrel length (e.g. MP5 clones, M4, ect.).
Not in germany...
You need a special licence for silencers and the only way to get one is to be a hunter who is hunting in urban areas. This licence is very rare.
Fenris
RobW
Member
Guess who has no problems to get a CCW in Germany?
Everybody is equal in front of the law. Some are very much more equal.
Everybody is equal in front of the law. Some are very much more equal.
20cows
Member
Herr Wolf,
Danke fur die auskunf.
( Ich hoffe das ist korrect(sp?). Auch ich habe keine umlaut.)
Danke fur die auskunf.
( Ich hoffe das ist korrect(sp?). Auch ich habe keine umlaut.)
Fenris Wolf
Member
Correct.
Sorry, but this is wrong! You MUST train with the rifle and you can use it, if you want, every day on a shooting range.
1. Switzerland has a Milita system. After basic training (between 18 and 21 weeks) you have to do a three week training every year until you are 34 years old.
2. During "active duty" (-> until you are about 34 years old) you have your weapon at home. That means pistol for Officers and Medics, SIG assault rifle for soldiers and NCOs.
3. Togehter with the weapon you get a box of ammo, but you are not allowed to use it (the sence of this ammo is, that the soldier is able to defend himself until he is able to go to his unit in war times).
4. Sturmgewehr 57
Army members equipped with the Sturmgewehr 57 can get their personal weapon to property for free. They just must furnish some shooting proof due to the entry in the shooting booklet.
5. Sturmgewehr 90
The Sturmgewehr 90 remains in principle property of the army. Army members, who were equipped with the Sturmgewehr 90, have the following possibilities:
- Return of the Stgw 90 and receipt of a Stgw 57 free of charge to property. - Necessary shooting proof similar to the regulation for army members, who are equipped with the Stgw 57.
- The Stgw 90 may be kept as personal borrowing weapon, if that Army member can prove that he did training during the last three years.
- The army member can likewise request to receive a Stgw 57 to property and to keep the Stgw 90 at the same time as personal borrowing weapon.
Hope this helped.
Fenris
If you have a DUI or DWI, you will usually loose your guns. You are then no longer considered reliable, zuverlaessig. Also, if you do not store your guns properly, or get out of the gun club if the permit was issued to a sports shooter. If you inherit a gun, you have no reson to ask for an ammo permit and posession of ammo without permit is, of course, illegal.
With a hunting license it is quite easy to obtain a silenced .22 l.r. rifle to shoot varmint. I do not know how much it changed in the last years but in general the hunting license allowed a licensed hunter, not only a "Stadtjaeger"(a person that is in the duty of the city to hunt varmint) to obtain a silenced rifle.
With a hunting license it is quite easy to obtain a silenced .22 l.r. rifle to shoot varmint. I do not know how much it changed in the last years but in general the hunting license allowed a licensed hunter, not only a "Stadtjaeger"(a person that is in the duty of the city to hunt varmint) to obtain a silenced rifle.
Vernal45
member
HEHEHE, Me to on that one
cajunboy2k
Member
From what has been said about Europe, Germany in particular, is the reason I really didnt like europe when I was stationed there. Gun ownership is considered a special situation. I like being able to walk into a gun shop, choose the one I want, pay, and walk out with it and a box of ammo. No one telling me where I can shoot it, how it must be stored, wait till I have had militia training, etc... Dont get me wrong, Europe was nice as far as scenery, food, people, and alcohol, but without gun RIGHTS, its useless.
Not bashing, just saying.
Not bashing, just saying.
Fenris Wolf
Member
Some years ago I visited the USA and was younger than 21...
USA was nice as far as scenery, food, people, and gun RIGHTS, but without alcohol, its useless.
Just kidding!
The problem (in Germany) is that we don't have an organisation like the NRA. And many gun owners don't think about weapon prohibition laws. Many hunters wouldn't mind if semiauto rifles like the AR15, SL-8 etc. wouldn't be allowed anymore. :banghead:
Fenris
30 cal slob
Member
How are the laws in Austria?
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