On October 31, important changes to weapons legislation come into force that tighten the legal handling of weapons and knives. The changes affect both the possession and carrying of weapons and include extended control powers for the authorities. Here is an overview of the main changes:

1. personal appearance and extended search powers

• Weapons authorities may now only require applicants to appear in person in "justified individual cases".
• In future, searches in publicly accessible sources, such as the internet, will be permitted to check reliability.

2. stricter background checks

• Persons who have been sentenced to at least 90 days' imprisonment for crimes endangering the state or extremist crimes are automatically considered unreliable.
• The list of eligible offenses has been expanded.

3. extended official inquiries and follow-up reporting obligations

• Queries during background checks have been extended to include data from the Federal Police, the Customs Criminal Investigation Office and police stations from the last ten years.
• Tax secrecy has been lifted for queries to the Customs Criminal Investigation Office.
• In future, more authorities will be obliged to subsequently report relevant information to weapons authorities.

4. ban on possession of weapons without a permit

• Persons with addictions, mental illnesses or a lack of personal aptitude are prohibited from possessing weapons without a license.

5. stricter regulations for switchblade knives

• Switchblades are generally prohibited unless there is a legitimate interest, for example of a professional nature.
• A one-year amnesty regulation allows such knives to be disposed of without penalty until October 31 of the following year.

6. ban on carrying weapons and knives at public events

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

7. unprovoked checks in weapons and knife prohibition zones

• In future, unprovoked identity checks will be expressly permitted in prohibited zones in order to increase security in high-risk areas.

8. new regulations on the seizure of weapons

• Weapons may already be seized during the examination of a withdrawal or revocation procedure.
• Weapons authorities will be given the power to enter and search homes if there are concrete grounds for suspicion.

These comprehensive changes require increased attention from hunters and sport shooters. Those affected should inform themselves at an early stage in order to avoid legal consequences and meet the new requirements.