Gun law remains holy: government promises more security!

Gun law remains holy: government promises more security!

Graz, Österreich - The Austrian government announced a reorganization of weapons right after the tragic killing spree at a high school in Graz, in which a 21-year-old perpetrator shot nine young people and a teacher. The event that occurred on June 14, 2025 got a renewed debate about dealing with weapons in Austria. The perpetrator had legally acquired both weapons after passing a psychological test, even though he had previously been classified as unsuitable for the Bundesheer, as https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/oesterreich-waffengesetze-100.html).

Although the three-way coalition has announced a tightening of the weapons right, the new set of rules remains shaped by numerous loopholes and restrictions. In this way, weapon acquisition for private individuals is only slightly more complicated. According to [OE24, arms dealers can already see an increase in demand for rifles, pistols and revolvers, which is the uncertainty and concerns about the abuse of weapons reflected.

changes in gun law

The most important changes include increasing the minimum age for the purchase of particularly dangerous firearms from 21 to 25 years. This regulation particularly affects categories B and C, which include pistols, revolvers and long weapons. For younger people, however, a new "weapon card" is introduced, which enables them to get to shotguns. In addition, the psychological tests are to be tightened, but there is no regulation for a weapons ban if a test is failed.

Another central element of the new regulation is the obligation that firearms may only be submitted after a four -week cooling phase and by licensed dealers. Despite these changes, access to dangerous long weapons remains largely unregulated. In addition, the government plans to expand weapons bans, especially for people in connection with domestic violence or severe judicial criminal records, but there is no guaranteed implementation.

reactions of politics

The discussion about the weapons laws also triggered a political debate. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner expressed the need for changes in data protection and demands improved data exchange between the authorities. The SPÖ speaks for further tightening, which include, among other things, access restrictions on weapons for certain groups of people and stricter regulations for dealing with social media for young people. SPÖ security spokesman Max Köllner has expressed concerns about the existing weapons laws.

Trust in the responsible handling of hunters with weapons remains unbroken; Chancellor Christian Stocker made it clear that no additional regulations are planned for this group, despite the shocking incidents in the past. The current developments and the behavior of the authorities after the killing spree in Graz raise questions about the effectiveness of the new measures and show that the discussion about the weapons law in Austria is far from complete. Further information on this offers Spiegel.