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.

Youth Judge Open to Raising Age Limit

"Weapons of Category B and C play hardly any role in youth crime. If anything, we are dealing with gas pistols and blank-firing pistols among adolescents and young adults," said Daniel Schmitzberger, chairman of the youth criminal law specialist group in the Association of Austrian Judges, on Thursday in an interview with the APA. 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 being paid not only to gun legislation but also to victim protection. 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 spokesman Maximilian Köllner in response to an APA inquiry. It is important to review the events in Graz and calmly develop proposals "to do everything possible to ensure that such acts of violence do not occur again." There were initially no statements from the ÖVP and NEOS on the subject of gun law, citing the ongoing national mourning.

Tyrol's regional councilor for security, Astrid Mair (ÖVP), spoke out, however, and advocated for stricter handling in an interview with ORF Tirol. Only those who need a weapon for "professional reasons" or have a "compelling reason" should be allowed to possess and carry a weapon. She cited the police, hunters, or sports shooters as examples. For all other people, she would, in the "strictest case," suggest 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 people "who know what they are doing and really need it" to have access.

Tightening of Gun Law: FPÖ with Usual Anti-Stance

The FPÖ opposes a tightening of the existing gun law. Such a measure would be "more of a pure symbolic policy than an effective measure against crime," it was said 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 Freedom Party parliamentary club stated in a statement sent to the 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 compromise that reflects the necessary balance of the different interests, all of which have their justification in this area. However, it is also unfortunately the case 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 platforms on the internet, should be better monitored by the authorities. The fact that the reliability check under gun law is only required once when purchasing a firearm is considered insufficient by the Greens. "This check should be repeated regularly, at least every five years," said Sirkka Prammer. In a person's life, mental health can change. That hunters are exempt from the reliability check is considered misguided by Sirkka Prammer: "Being a hunter alone says nothing about reliability."

In principle, it should be evaluated whether the reliability check, which is a psychological assessment and provides information on whether the prerequisites for acquiring, possessing, 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 sports shooters had to leave their weapons at the shooting range or club premises after use and could no longer take them home.

"We, as the interest group of legal firearm owners in Austria, are well aware of the responsibility associated with legally owning firearms, especially since we are all officially controlled, whether in the form of regularly conducted storage checks or through psychological assessments of applicants for firearm ownership documents," said Andreas Rippel, President of the Interest Group for Liberal Gun Law 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 ideas or to distract from possible failures and to exploit this act politically."

(APA/Red.)

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