FPÖ: Greens responsible for uncertainty, not legal weapons!

FPÖ: Greens responsible for uncertainty, not legal weapons!

In the National Council, an urgent application by the Greens was debated for a general ban on weapons. Dr. Susanne Fürst, FPÖ club chairman deputy, critically commented on the demands of the Greens. She accused them of picking up an individual case to act against legal gun owners. In her opinion, the cause of the increasing uncertainty in the country should not be found in the legal weapons, but in the illegal migration that has increased since 2015. According to Fürst, not legal, but illegal weapons lead to increased crime in Austria.

Prince also warned of the possible consequences of weapons that could be purchased for Ukraine, as they may land on the black market. She referred to international experiences that show that strict weapons laws do not necessarily lead to a reduction in violent crimes. In US states with strict regulations, crime is still high, which indicates an attraction for criminal gangs. Prince moved parallels to the RAF's reaction in Germany, which also resulted in a tightening of the gun rights, although the problem was often focused on the wrong perpetrators.

gun ownership in Austria

The debate about the weapons laws in Austria has gained urgency through a killing spree in Graz. Studies have shown that stricter weapons laws tend to lead to fewer violent offenses. Austria has relatively loose weapons laws compared to other EU countries, with an estimated 2.5 million weapons in circulation, which corresponds to a ratio of around 30 weapons per 100 inhabitants.

Official data from the Interior Ministry confirm that a total of 1,518,873 legally registered weapons are distributed to 374,141 people in 2025. Nevertheless, in 2022 there were around 305 violent violations in Austria using firearms, and in the past ten years 170 murders were recorded with firearms. A third of the weapons were legal and two thirds illegal.

planned changes in the law

The latest developments led to the announcement of strictly gun legislation. Among other things, are planned:

• weapons ban on psychological abnormalities
• revision of the weapon psychological report
• raising the minimum age for weapon acquisition to 25 years
• Extension of the "cooling phase" from three days to four weeks
• limitation of the gun ownership card to eight years

These measures are discussed under the pressure of the current security situation, which is assessed as critical. In Germany, too in recent years, weapons laws have been tightened, especially according to violent acts such as Hanau's terrorist attack. There, for example, the authorities have to query police certificates and references to mental illnesses for applicants. In Austria there are not comparable regulations such as the "small gun license".

The initiatives in both Austria and Germany illustrate the continuing efforts to improve the security situation, and the need for a differentiated view of the gun ownership in the context of crime and personal security needs.