Graz Mayor calls for a drastic ban on weapons after the killing spree

Graz Mayor calls for a drastic ban on weapons after the killing spree

After the tragic killing spree in Graz, in which eleven people lost their lives on June 11, 2025, Mayor Elke Kahr (KPÖ) demands radical measures to improve weapons security. The perpetrator, a 21-year-old man named Artur A., had used two legally acquired firearms in his attack. Kahr speaks for a comprehensive ban on firearms in private ownership and demands that only the executive should have the right to carry the weapons. In her speech, she also criticized the generous allocation of guns in Austria, where certain rifles can already be bought by any 18-year-old, which is considered less strict compared to other countries like Germany. The Weapons Act in Austria stipulates that a gun ownership card is required for the purchase of a fist fir weapon, which is granted to the applicant after a psychological examination that has been in effect since 1997.

A sea of lights on the main square in Graz showed the victims of the killing spree the last honor. In a special meeting of the city government, possible failures and next steps were discussed. Kahr emphasizes that the political climate should not play a role in this critical situation, and it is of the utmost importance that the needs of the citizens concerned, in particular the children, put in the foreground. For the coming days, she plans to pay special attention to talking to the children about the traumatic experiences.

weapons laws in the focus

The discussion about the weapons laws in Austria was re -lived by the killing spree. Kahr commented on and pointed out that the gun tickets in the country would be "forgiven too quickly". As part of the weapons law reliability test, which every applicant for a weapon ownership card has to go through, various psychological aspects such as emotional stability and aggression trends are checked. The process includes a screening procedure and a technical discussion in which possible abnormalities are questioned.

The test result is communicated to applicants after the tests were carried out and the report is sent by post. The cost of the exam is 283.20 euros. Kahr calls for the security situation to be considered more intensively after the killing spree took place at an educational institution. In this context, she also announced a joint action by the youth organizations and the Graz youth advisory board for the coming Wednesday to plan preventive measures and to raise awareness of security of weapons.