After Rampage in Graz: Debate on Stricter Gun Laws Ignited

Currently, the possession and acquisition of Category C weapons - rifles and shotguns - is generally possible from the age of 18, with a requirement to register in the Central Weapons Register or with a gun dealer within six weeks of acquisition or transfer of the gun. A long gun may only be carried with a gun license or a valid hunting card or as a member of a shooting club. The acquisition and possession of Category B weapons - revolvers, pistols, semi-automatics - is only permitted with official approval in the form of a gun ownership card or a gun license. A gun license is required to carry such a firearm.

Convictions for Unauthorized Gun Possession Have Been Rising for Years

Criminal convictions for unauthorized possession of Category B firearms, prohibited weapons, corresponding ammunition, and war material have been steadily increasing in recent years. This is evidenced by figures from the Ministry of Justice. According to these, 952 convictions under § 50 of the Weapons Act were registered in 2020, with 975 and 976 in the following years. In 2023, there was a jump to 997, and in the previous year, 1,055 convictions were recorded. So far this year, there have been 488.

Since the beginning of the year, 1,369 suspected cases of unauthorized gun possession have been reported to the judiciary. In the entire year of 2024, there were 3,661, compared to 3,597, 3,181, and 2,855 in the years 2023, 2022, and 2021.

Online Petition for Immediate Gun Ban for Private Individuals

In response to the rampage in Graz, an online petition has been launched demanding an immediate gun ban for private individuals. Almost 48,000 people (as of 4:30 PM) have already signed the appeal addressed to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) and the federal government. Around 1.5 million firearms are currently in circulation in Austria, and the initiators believe it is far too easy for interested parties to acquire firearms.

There was also criticism of the psychological tests conducted to obtain a gun license. Jutta Leth, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapeutic medicine, described the self-completion questionnaires on the Ö1 lunchtime journal on Thursday as "problematic." Because someone who has a plan and wants a gun license will "probably be awake enough" to realistically assess which questions they need to answer in a socially acceptable manner. She advocated for a "multi-stage process in specialized facilities with a multi-professional team and an institutional background" and called for increased controls on people who own a weapon.

Youth Judge Open to Raising the Age Limit

"Weapons of Category B and C play hardly any role in juvenile delinquency. If anything, we are dealing with gas pistols and alarm pistols among adolescents and young adults," said Daniel Schmitzberger, chairman of the Youth Criminal Law Specialist Group in the Association of Austrian Judges, in an interview with the APA on Thursday. Raising the age limit for acquiring long guns to 25 years "could certainly be argued," Schmitzberger said, referring to the shift of adolescence into the 20s and the associated adolescent crises. However, this is "a political decision." Any restrictions should also "not be played out through criminal law, but through administrative law," Schmitzberger suggested.

Meanwhile, the governing parties are discussing whether and what conclusions to draw from the rampage in Graz, with attention also being paid to victim protection in addition to gun legislation. The National Security Council is to analyze the background of the rampage and develop preventive measures to prevent similar acts in the future.

"We must focus on prevention and psychosocial care," said SPÖ security spokesperson Maximilian Köllner in response to an APA inquiry. It is important to analyze the events in Graz and calmly develop proposals "to do everything possible to prevent such acts of violence from occurring again." There were initially no statements from the ÖVP and NEOS on the topic of gun laws, citing the ongoing national mourning.

Tyrol's regional security councilor Astrid Mair (ÖVP) spoke out, advocating for stricter regulations in an interview with ORF Tirol. Only those who need a weapon for "professional reasons" or have a "valid reason" should be allowed to own and carry a weapon. She cited the police, hunters, or sport shooters as examples. For all other people, she would suggest in the "strictest case" that they "do not need access to such weapons at all." Even if gun ownership has nothing to do with the crime rate, restricting access would only allow those "who are knowledgeable and truly need it" to have access.

Tightening Gun Laws: FPÖ with Usual Opposition

The FPÖ opposes tightening the existing gun laws. Such a move would be "more of a symbolic policy than an effective measure against crime," they stated in response to an APA inquiry. The gun law, in terms of regulations, regular checks, and strict official controls, is "one of the strictest in Europe." The number of crimes committed by legal gun owners is "relatively low, while most serious gun crimes are committed with illegal weapons." Countries like France or England, with very strict gun laws, "still struggle with serious gun crime involving illegal firearms," the FPÖ parliamentary club noted in a statement sent to APA.

"There is no clear evidence that stricter gun laws would automatically lead to more security," said the FPÖ. A tightening could be interpreted as distrust and a general suspicion towards law-abiding citizens and, for example, as a disproportionate restriction of their legitimate personal protection and defense interests: "The existing gun law, therefore, represents, in our view, a necessary balance of the different interests, all of which have their justification in this area. Unfortunately, it is also true that no law in the world can completely prevent crimes like the one in Graz.

Greens for More Controls

"It is a problem that we have too many private weapons and too little control over what happens with them," said Agnes Sirkka Prammer, security spokesperson for the Greens. The private purchase of firearms, which often takes place not only through registered dealers but also through online platforms, should be better monitored by the authorities. The fact that the reliability check for gun ownership is only required once at the time of purchase is considered insufficient by the Greens. "This check should be repeated regularly, at least every five years," said Sirkka Prammer. A person's mental health can change over time. The exemption of hunters from the reliability check is considered misguided by Sirkka Prammer: "Being a hunter alone does not indicate reliability."

In principle, it should be evaluated whether the reliability check, which is a psychological assessment and provides information on whether the conditions for acquiring, owning, and carrying a weapon are met, is still up to date with current scientific standards, emphasized Sirkka Prammer. The Green security spokesperson also found it "sensible" if weapons of category C could only be purchased from the age of 21 and if sport shooters were required to leave their weapons at the shooting range or club premises after use and not take them home.

"As the representative body for legal firearm owners in Austria, we are well aware of the responsibility that comes with legally owning firearms, especially since we are all officially monitored, whether through regular storage checks or psychological assessments of applicants for gun ownership documents," said Andreas Rippel, President of the Interest Group for Liberal Gun Laws in Austria (IWÖ). It is now up to the responsible authorities to draw the right conclusions: "What we definitely do not need now is a discussion about stricter gun laws, just to push through political agendas or to distract from possible failures and exploit this act for political gain."

(APA/Red.)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.