Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – Cities and municipalities in the southwest can set up weapon-free zones in the future. The green-black government wants to pave the way for this this Tuesday. According to the Ministry of the Interior, it is another building block to further curb weapon crimes – especially with knives – and thus to strengthen the sense of security of the people in the country. Most recently, there had been hearings by the responsible associations on the regulation. Some of their wishes have still been incorporated.

However, high hurdles should apply to the establishment of the gun ban zones. These should only be decided if the security situation requires it, according to Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU). The police headquarters should create risk forecasts. Such zones should be able to be set up at crime hotspots or in places where large crowds gather. The regulations will initially apply for two years and will be reviewed and evaluated in between.

One in ten cases of violent crime in the South West last year – around 14,900 cases – was knife-related, according to the ministry. 24 people were killed.