According to Graz-AmoFlauf: Government is planning drastic weapons laws!

According to Graz-AmoFlauf: Government is planning drastic weapons laws!

The killing spree at a school in Graz shaked Austria and once again sparked the debate about the weapons law. In this context, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen calls for an urgent tightening of the gun laws. The Federal Government has prompted the incident to be killed in 11 people, including 10 innocent people, to examine comprehensive measures to regulate gun ownership. These steps are discussed in a state mourning period of three days, which ends on Thursday evening with a memorial service in the Vienna St. St. Cathedral. Van der Bellen and the government will be present at this service in order to commemorate the victim and to point out the necessary reform of the weapons guidelines, as Krone

The gunman, a 21-year-old Austrian, had legally acquired a Glock pistol and a shotgun. One of the weapons had only been bought a few days before the crime. Despite a failed psychological test of the Federal Army, which was supposedly not sufficient to prevent him from obtaining a gun ownership card, he was able to legally acquire the weapon. In order to obtain a gun ownership card in Austria, applicants have to submit a psychological report, complete training in dealing with weapons and specify a plausible justification for weapons acquisition, according to t-online .

reactions and demands for reforms

In the result, both the Mayor of Graz Elke Kahr from the KPÖ and the Greens have called for a general ban on weapons, while the FPÖ rejects a tightening of the laws and argues that there is no clear evidence of more security through strict rules. The National Security Council has already carried out an analysis of the events in Graz and has discussed possible measures that could include raising the age limit for the acquisition of long weapons and the introduction of further psychological tests. At the moment, a psychological report is only necessary to obtain a gun ownership card, which according to experts like the Vienna psychiatrist Jutta Leth is not sufficient to filter out mentally disturbed or dangerous people, such as reports the press

This discussion about stricter tests is reinforced by the fact that Austria has relatively low hurdles for the possession of fist firearms in international comparison. So far, the laws have been allowed to acquire certain rifles by EU citizens from the age of 18 without special requirements. Nevertheless, there are efforts to tighten these measures. The arms dealer Markus Schwaiger described the incident as "super-gau" and underlined the need to reform the weapons laws.

In the middle of this uncertain political situation, the government also relies on savings in the household area, while the discussion about weapons legislation continues to worsen. The tragedy in Graz has emphasized the awareness of the security situation and the need to reform the weapons law and will significantly influence the discussion about this topic in the coming weeks.