The Green parliamentary group is calling for stricter measures against illegal weapons in Germany. In a policy plan reported by the newspaper “Welt,” Marcel Emmerich, the federal spokesman for domestic affairs, demands several actions, including increased minimum penalties for illegal weapon possession and a mandatory digital reporting duty for legal owners. The paper estimates that more than 20 million illegal firearms are currently circulating in Germany, particularly noting that they are increasingly being used in organized crime offenses.
“The shootings in Berlin, the finding of 165 illegal firearms in the Cologne area, and the nationwide raids on gun dealers all demonstrate that illegal firearms pose a deadly threat,” Emmerich told “Welt.” He criticized the current situation, stating it cannot be acceptable “that we register every legal firearm in Germany, yet we cannot consistently trace how weapons disappear and end up on the black market.”
Emmerich’s demands are particularly stringent regarding criminal law. He proposes that the illegal acquisition and possession of weapons must move beyond being treated as misdemeanors and instead be prosecuted as felonies. This would involve raising the minimum penalty stipulated in the Weapons Act, a change that, according to the document, would prevent charges from being dismissed as trivial. Additionally, investigators would be better equipped to uncover the origins and criminal networks behind illegal weapons.
The plan also introduces new responsibilities for legal owners. Emmerich requires a mandatory digital inventory declaration for every cardholder. Through a secure online portal linked to the national ID (Bund-ID) and the National Weapons Register, gun owners would be required to regularly confirm that their registered weapons remain in their possession.
Furthermore, the policy plan targets weapons manufactured on the amateur level. Firearms made with 3D printers, modified blanks and signal weapons, complete counterfeits, and reactivated weapons must be systematically documented and tackled. Following Emmerich’s wishes, the unauthorized possession and deliberate distribution of digital construction plans for illegal weapons would also be specifically defined as a crime under the Weapons Act.
“To truly combat illegal weapons, one must target the entire chain,” Emmerich stated. “This includes anything from legal gun ownership and international smuggling routes to criminal networks operating in the dark net. If we want to combat organized crime, we must take away not just their dirty money, but also their weapons.”
