On October 31, important changes to gun law will come into effect, tightening the legal handling of weapons and knives. The new regulations affect both the possession and carrying of weapons and include expanded powers for authorities to conduct checks. Here is an overview of the key changes:

1. Personal Appearance and Expanded Research Powers

• Gun authorities may only require a personal appearance from applicants in "justified individual cases."
• To verify reliability, research in publicly accessible sources, such as the internet, will be permitted in the future.

2. Stricter Reliability Checks

• Individuals convicted of state-endangering or extremist offenses with a sentence of at least 90 daily rates are automatically considered unreliable.
• The list of offenses that must be considered has been expanded.

3. Expanded Official Inquiries and Reporting Obligations

• Inquiries during the reliability check will be extended to data from the Federal Police, the Customs Criminal Office, and police departments from the last ten years.
• Tax secrecy has been lifted for inquiries at the Customs Criminal Office.
• More authorities will be required to report relevant information to gun authorities afterwards.

4. Prohibition of Possession of Non-Permitted Weapons

• Individuals with dependency disorders, mental illnesses, or lacking personal suitability will be prohibited from possessing non-permitted weapons.

5. Stricter Regulations for Switchblades

• Switchblades are generally prohibited unless there is a legitimate interest, such as for professional reasons.
• A one-year amnesty regulation allows for the non-punitive surrender of such knives until October 31 of the following year.

6. Carrying Ban on Weapons and Knives at Public Events

• The carrying of weapons and knives is prohibited at folk festivals, sporting events, trade fairs, and similar public events.
• A uniform catalog of exceptions regulates exceptions for certain groups of people and purposes, such as hunters or security services.

7. Random Checks in Weapon and Knife Prohibition Zones

• In prohibition zones, random person checks will be explicitly permitted in the future to increase safety in vulnerable areas.

8. New Regulations for Securing Weapons

• Weapons may be secured even during the examination of a withdrawal or revocation procedure.
• Gun authorities will be granted the power to enter and search homes in cases of concrete suspicion.

These comprehensive changes require increased attention from hunters and sports shooters. Affected individuals should inform themselves early to avoid legal consequences and meet the new requirements.