Apply for gun ownership card for hunting associations

You must apply for permission to acquire and possess weapons and/or ammunition requiring a permit from the relevant weapons authority. Submit the application together with the required documents.

Weapons authorities

Weapons authorities

• The hunting association must be a legal entity, i.e. registered in the register of associations, for example.
  
• The responsible person must be at least 18 years old.
  
• The responsible person must be reliable in terms of weapons law.
  
  He or she can be considered unreliable in terms of weapons law if, among other things
  • he/she has been legally sentenced to a prison term of at least one year within the last 10 years or has been a member of or supported a prohibited organization within the last 10 years.
  • it can be assumed that he/she misuses or improperly handles weapons or ammunition, does not keep these objects carefully or hands them over to persons who are not authorized to do so.
  • if he/she has been in preventive police custody more than once in the last 5 years with judicial authorization due to violence.
  • if he/she has repeatedly or grossly violated the weapons law.
    
• The responsible person must be personally suitable.
  
  The responsible person can be assessed as personally unsuitable, among other things, if
  • he/she is legally incompetent.
  • he or she is dependent on alcohol or other intoxicating substances, is mentally ill or is a moron.
  • he/she suffers from serious illnesses, such as brain injuries, or physical impairments, such as amputations or severe visual impairment.
  • it can be assumed that he or she cannot handle weapons or ammunition carefully or properly or that there is a concrete danger that he or she will endanger others or himself or herself.
    
• The responsible person must prove that he or she has sufficient knowledge about weapons and ammunition and how to handle them (expert knowledge).
  
  In order to be able to prove that he or she is competent in the handling of weapons and ammunition, he or she must have attended an appropriate training course. The course comprises a theoretical and practical part. At the end of the course, an examination is taken before an authorized examination board. If the examination is passed, the responsible person receives a certificate indicating the weapons and ammunition for which the expertise has been acquired. The responsible person can also obtain the expert knowledge only for the weapons and ammunition that you want to acquire and possess as a hunting association.
  
  The expert knowledge can also be proven by passing a hunter's examination.

• You must prove that you can safely store weapons and ammunition.
  
  This generally means that only authorized persons may have access to weapons and ammunition. If you do not store your weapons and ammunition safely, you commit an administrative offense for which a fine of up to 10,000 EUR can be imposed. In addition, this may cast doubt on the reliability of the responsible person under weapons law and the hunting association may have its weapons possession card revoked.
  
  When applying, you must provide information on both the storage location and the container in which you intend to store weapons and ammunition. The storage requirements are based on Section 13 of the General Weapons Act Ordinance (AWaffV). In case of doubt, please contact the authority responsible for you.
  
  In principle, you can orientate yourself on the following specifications:
  • You must store ammunition requiring a permit in a sheet steel cabinet/container with a swing bolt lock or an equivalent locking device.
  • To store long guns and handguns requiring a permit, you need a gun cabinet. Which gun cabinet you need depends on the number and type of weapons and/or ammunition you wish to acquire and possess.
    • In a gun cabinet with resistance grade 0 according to the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard with a weight of up to 200 kilograms, you may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 5 handguns and ammunition.
    • In a firearms cabinet with resistance grade 0 in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard with a weight of over 200 kilograms, you may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 10 handguns and ammunition.
    • In a gun cabinet with resistance grade I according to the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard, you may store an unlimited number of long guns and handguns as well as ammunition.
  • The following regulations apply to the location where you may install the firearm cabinet:
    • You may store up to 3 long guns even in buildings that are not permanently inhabited, such as a hunting lodge or a weekend house. For this, however, you need a weapons cabinet with resistance grade I.
    • If you live in a shared household with another person who is also entitled to possess weapons, you may store the weapons in a shared weapons cabinet.

• Identity card or passport (copy)
• Extract from the register of associations
• Proof of expertise (responsible person)
• Proof of storage, e.g. purchase contract for a gun cabinet and/or photos of gun cabinet and place of installation

• § 10 Abs. 2 Waffengesetz (WaffG)
• § 4 Waffengesetz (WaffG)
• § 36 Waffengesetz (WaffG)
• § 13 Allgemeine Waffengesetz-Verordnung (AWaffV)

Online services available: not known

Forms available: not known

Written form required: Yes

Informal application possible: No

Personal appearance required: No

02.07.2024

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.