Austria in the rush of weapons: half a million new owners in ten years!

Austria in the rush of weapons: half a million new owners in ten years!

The number of gun owners in Austria is steadily increasing. According to current statistics, over 1.5 million revolvers, pistols and rifles have already been registered in the country. In Styria alone, more than 212,000 registered weapons are added, while in Carinthia the number is over 100,000. A total of around 370,000 people are owned by weapons-an increase of 70,000 within the past ten years, as the Kleine Zeitung reported.

Hans Wertgarner, state guild master of the arms trade in Upper Austria, sees no reason to worry in these numbers. He emphasizes that the majority of gun owners deal responsibly with their firearms. In addition, the increase in registration cases is partially attributed to the amendment to the Weapons Act, which required late registration not to be registered by 2019. The fact that, despite the growing number of gun owners, there is no significant increase in violent offenses with legal firearms.

regulations and security

In Austria, strict legal regulations apply to gun ownership. In order to purchase a weapon ownership card, applicants must meet certain requirements. This includes the submission of a psychological report that is necessary for non-hunting card holders. If you want to apply for a weapon passport, you have to be of legal age, prove a need and present a positive psychological report. Community service providers are also temporarily excluded from the acquisition of weapons that are subject to approval, while other regulations apply to hunters.

The Weapons Register plays an important role in public security and order. It enables the traceability of weapons and the exchange of necessary data between the authorities. The register authority, which is subject to the Federal Administrative Office, leads the weapons register and is responsible for the correctness of the data. Each gun owner has a right of information about his stored data, which contributes to transparency.

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