Gun ownership in Austria: record numbers and shocking insights!

Gun ownership in Austria: record numbers and shocking insights!

Graz, Österreich - On July 7, 2025, the discussion about gun ownership in Austria has come into focus again. Yilmaz Gülüm will present on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 9:05 p.m. in ORF 2 and on ORF on his comprehensive "report", which deals with the alarming increase of firearms in the country. The report emphasizes that there are currently around 1.5 million firearms in Austria. This corresponds to an increase of 70 % in the past ten years, which is only exceeded in Finland, where there are even more weapons on 100 inhabitants. These developments raise questions about the effectiveness of psychological reports for gun ownership and open up discussions about the possible liberalization of the Weapons Act.

Especially after the tragic killing spree in Graz, in which eleven people lost their lives, the pressure on politics has increased to increase the hurdles for gun ownership. According to reports, the alleged perpetrator legally had his weapons and had completed a psychological test from civilian authorities in March to acquire a pistol. Nevertheless, the Federal Army found the mental instability of the perpetrator during the pattern. These opposing findings illustrate the challenges in current legislation and the discussions that take place in the coalition parties about the tightening of the Weapons Act. While all parties support measures, the FPÖ rejects a tightening as a symbol policy.

Critics, such as the head of the Böp, Julia Wachter department, complain about the outdated tests that are often used. There is no uniform definition of what experts should check to determine weapon psychological reliability. Exclusion criteria such as drug or alcohol addiction as well as mental disorders are taken into account, but there is a lack of individual anamnesis discussions between experts and applicants prescribed by law, which affects the quality of the assessment. The debate about the need for serious assessment is becoming increasingly louder and also finds it at the political level.

energy prices and climate impacts

The topic of gun ownership is not isolated. The development of energy prices is also dealt with as part of the upcoming report. The government plans to make prices more transparent and unbureaucratic, while the discussion about the participation of private PV plant owners continues to stop in network costs. This raises questions about fairness and the effects on the renewable energy market. Economic Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer was already concerned about the high energy prices.

Another central topic of the report is the heat trap city. Cities are increasingly fighting with temperatures of up to 38 degrees, which leads to great challenges due to asphalt and concrete. In this context, the insufficient preparation for the consequences of the climate crisis is also discussed and the need for an effective climate protection law is addressed. The political framework for coping with these challenges is currently missing a coherent approach in urban planning and greening.