federal government
Debate on gun law after amoktat: FDP reluctant
Flowers and candles in front of the entrance area of the community center in Hamburg, where a gunman first shot seven people and then himself. photo
© Christian Charisius/dpa
Should gun laws in Germany be tightened? Yes, think traffic light politicians from the SPD and the Greens. However, the coalition partner FDP is not so clear on the issue.
According to a media report, the traffic light coalition in Berlin is at odds over whether the weapons law should be tightened after the shooting on the premises of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg.
“We don’t see any added value in symbolic political demands without gaining security,” said the domestic policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Manuel Höferlin, to the “Rheinische Post”. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) announced shortly after the crime with several deaths that she wanted to review the draft amendment to the Weapons Act again.
The Greens spokeswoman for domestic policy, Lamya Kaddor, spoke out in the “Rheinische Post” for a tightening. “I think it makes sense for weapons authorities, police and health authorities to exchange information on a case-by-case basis and under the legal conditions of data protection,” said Kaddor.
Eight dead, nine injured
Last Thursday evening, 35-year-old Philipp F. shot seven people in Hamburg-Alsterdorf, including an unborn child. Then he killed himself. Nine people were injured. Three of them were still in mortal danger on Monday, as Hamburg’s Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) said. Today the authorities want to inform about their current status.
The Union in the Bundestag, however, sees no need for stricter regulations. “Weapons law has been tightened several times in recent times – rightly so, by the way. After recent terrible events, it has become clear that enforcement is crucial for gun law,” said CSU domestic politician Volker Ullrich to the newspaper.
The police union (GdP) advocates improvements. “From our perspective, mental health checks before applying for gun ownership cards, i.e. before buying legal guns, would bring more security,” said GdP national chairman Jochen Kopelke.