2024-08-14 14:09:46
The Federal Ministry of the Interior is planning to tighten gun laws due to recent knife attacks. What exactly this will look like is still open.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior wants to tighten gun laws in Germany. From the ministry’s point of view, “the protection of the population against the misuse of weapons and knives must be improved,” a spokeswoman told the “Tagesspiegel” (Thursday edition). “There is a need for legislative action here.” The ministry will “submit proposals for changes to gun laws.”
After several knife attacks, calls for a change in gun laws have become louder in recent months. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had already spoken out in favor of a general ban on weapons on public transport in the spring, especially knives.
At the end of May, the Lower Saxony state government had pushed for a tightening of gun laws via the Federal Council. According to this, all switchblades and other knives with a length of six centimeters or more should be banned in public. Faeser welcomed the Federal Council’s corresponding demands, the ministry spokeswoman told the “Tagesspiegel”.
However, according to the newspaper, it is still unclear how quickly changes can be made. In its initiative, the Federal Council had already criticized the fact that an amendment to the gun law announced by the Federal Ministry “is still being discussed within the federal government after more than a year.”
The purchase and possession of certain knives such as butterfly knives are already prohibited. An infringement can be punished with a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine. According to the Interior Ministry, knives with a blade that can be locked with one hand, so-called one-hand knives, as well as fixed knives with a blade length of more than twelve centimeters may not be carried outside of one’s own home or property. Infringements can lead to a fine.