Berlin: Tens of thousands of weapons registered: including submachine guns

This emerges from a response from the Senate to a Green Party question that was published a few days ago. However, as banned weapons of war, the machine guns and submachine guns are probably in a condition that is not suitable for firing.

According to a comprehensive list by the Senate, around 53,000 privately owned firearms and weapon parts were recorded in the National Weapons Register in Berlin as of the end of February. The Senate also named the number of 47,752 firearms licenses that Berliners have. Most weapons are various types of rifles, often hunting rifles, as well as semi-automatic pistols (around 15,000) and revolvers (around 6,000). The number has fallen in recent years.

11,023 people in the state of Berlin are registered as owners of these weapons or a part of a weapon (as of February 2024). There are now significantly more checks than before for gun owners to ensure they are stored correctly. In 2023 there were 1,399 such controls. In previous years the numbers were much lower: there were 303 controls in 2019 and 406 controls in 2018.

In Berlin, far fewer weapons are recorded in relation to the number of inhabitants than in Bavaria, for example, where many more hunters and amateur shooters live. In the old West Berlin and also in the GDR, private gun ownership was largely forbidden.

The Green Party’s domestic politician Vasili Franco emphasized: “Nobody knows how many weapons are illegally in circulation. I am particularly concerned about the developments in recent years in the area of ​​semi- and fully automatic weapons.” However, the significantly increased control pressure should be recognized positively.

(dpa)