crime
Faeser: Making progress with gun law reform
“It would be irresponsible to have this discussion again until after another terrible act of violence,” says Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. photo
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
The New Year’s Eve riots and a shooting spree in Hamburg fueled the debate about gun rights in the first few months of this year. At that time, Faeser suggested tightening the rules.
Faeser had already presented an internal draft for tightening gun laws last January after the New Year’s Eve riots and the exposed coup plans of a Reich citizen group. At the time, the Greens generally welcomed the project, which had not yet gone to the cabinet for a decision.
The FDP, as the third coalition party, positioned itself against this. Their deputy parliamentary group leader Konstantin Kuhle argued in September that before the laws were changed again, the weapons authorities in the federal states should first be better equipped to apply the current law.
Stricter rules for blank firearms
The minister now promoted her proposals again. Also in response to the events of last New Year’s Eve, the bill provides for stricter rules for blank firearms. “We have already seen how police officers and rescue workers were threatened with blank guns,” warned Faeser. “We have a duty to protect our emergency services, who stand up for all of us on the streets and save the lives of people in need.”
“For the same reason, last January I proposed punishing perpetrators with at least one year in prison if they lure police and rescue workers into dangerous ambushes,” said the minister. “Here too, we have to send a clear stop signal.”
Regarding gun rights, Faeser also referred to the shooting rampage that left seven people dead in a Jehovah’s Witness community in Hamburg in March. We know from such serious acts of violence “that we need stricter and more detailed checks,” she said. “We must ensure that if there are signs that the person in question is dangerous, weapons licenses are not issued in the first place or are revoked in a timely manner.”