German minister wants gun law reform in new year

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to push ahead with her proposed tightening of gun laws in the coming year, reported dpa.

It is particularly important "that we make progress with the gun law reform in the new year", Faeser told the newspapers of the Funke media group in an interview published on Friday. "It would be irresponsible to only have this discussion again after another terrible act of violence."

Faeser had already presented an internal draft law tightening gun regulations in January following clashes on New Year's Eve last year, when policemen and firefighters were attacked by firecrackers and rockets in several cities.

The attacks were particularly fierce in some Berlin neighbourhoods.

The gun rights debate gained momentum after the arrest of 25 suspected members of a terrorist group linked to the Reich Citizens movement in December 2022. They had allegedly planned to carry out a coup.

At the time, the Greens, part of the coalition with Faeser's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), generally welcomed the plan, which had not yet been submitted to the cabinet for approval.

In September Konstantin Kuhle, parliamentary group leader of the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), argued that before the laws were changed again, authorities should first be better equipped to apply current laws.

In response to the events of the previous New Year's Eve, Faeser said the draft bill also envisages stricter rules for weapons, adding "we need stricter and more stringent checks," referring to a shooting spree in Hamburg in March that killed seven people.

"We must ensure that if there are signs that the person in question is dangerous, gun licences are not even issued or are withdrawn in good time," said Faeser.

The perpetrator of the Hamburg shooting had a valid gun permit for the murder weapon.