If you live as a foreigner in Germany, then you are in a relatively safe country. In the statistics, things look good. Acts of violence are rare. And there are no typical areas where you can’t go as a normal person because you’re guaranteed to get shot. As can be the case in some metropolises even in the United States. Nevertheless, there are problem areas here as well. And if you get into danger, then it’s called: danger to life. We show which threats are acute in our country and how you can protect yourself with the help of the so-called small firearms licence.
We will explain what this licence is and which weapons you can wear with you within the country. Additionally our post shall be a help to apply for German small gun license (Kleinen Waffenschein beantragen) for you, as there are some documents, that you will have to hand in to the authorities.
How dangerous is Germany?
As a young man, I experienced the collapse of the Iron Curtain on the East German side. I grew up in a city where about 35,000 people lived. After the fall of communism, Nazi gangs started roaming the streets. They were always attacking other youths and beating people up for no reason. Most of the time, no police were called. How could they? In the middle of the night on the street. How to call the police? So hundreds of violent acts were never reported to the police, so that the police statistics showed “no abnormalities at all”. My reaction was as follows: I was 14 years old and instead of going to the disco on weekends I just stayed at home. I never left the house at night. Only when I moved to Bavaria did that change. There, the streets are really safe, at least where I lived.
And that’s how it is for many of our fellow citizens. Yes, there are many problem areas in Germany. But these are mostly avoided by the population, out of pure self-preservation instinct. This makes the statistics look good and everything seems fine. But this is at the expense of freedom of movement.
In 2006, just in time for the World Cup in Germany, African media published an atlas of no-go areas for blacks. Meanwhile, Jewish citizens complain that they are permanently exposed to violence in districts inhabited mainly by Muslims.
The fact is: Germany is not safe everywhere. And the calm is deceptive in many cases. The fact that nothing happens is mainly due to the fact that local residents now restrict their freedom of movement.
How you can protect yourself with a small firearms licence?
You can accept such a restriction, but you don’t have to. There are other options than starting your own gang, going to the gym and doing martial arts. A small arms licence can help you with this.
The small firearms licence is a special legal construct from Germany. Here, it is basically not allowed to carry weapons. Especially not firearms. But knives or sticks, baseball bats or brass knuckles are also strictly forbidden. Anyone caught with a weapon is liable to a hefty fine.
To ensure that criminals are not left unprotected, however, the state has kept a few options open. This category includes weapons that can be sold freely, such as gas pistols, alarm guns or signal weapons. You can indeed carry them. But only under strictly controlled circumstances. For them, you have to apply for a small firearms licence at the responsible public order office.
One rule would be, for example, that the weapons are marked with a special seal: PTB test mark.
When applying, one must not have a criminal record. An identity card must be presented.
An identity card must always be present when carrying the weapons.
Free weapons may not be taken to public gatherings or local events.
You may only fire them in real danger and not just for fun.
With the help of such equipment, you increase your own safety immensely. At the sight of a gun, no attacker knows whether it is real or not. Therefore, the perpetrators of violence will certainly be even more likely to refrain from attacking you or to abort the attempted robbery. This is how you regain a piece of freedom.