Not only the police in the Free State can call firearms their own. Rifles, pistols and the like are also not uncommon among private individuals. The police are even aware that extremists use legal weapons.
Munich (dpa / lby) – There are more than 1.211 million registered firearms in Bavaria. As of December 31, 2021, the number was only slightly lower than at the turn of the year 2019/2020, when it was 1.214 million rifles, pistols and the like of the German Press Agency in Munich. Relatively speaking, there is just under one weapon for every eleven inhabitants in the Free State.
Legal gun ownership remains the privilege of a small minority – nationwide there are 560,940 (31.12.2021) gun licenses. Compared to the previous year, this is a slight increase of 7,681 permits (1.37 percent). In the previous year, the number was 553,259 (December 31, 2020). Nationwide, the Ministry of the Interior puts the number of private gun owners at 207,156 (December 31, 2021). This is 2927 fewer than at the end of 2020.
“The number of gun permits and gun owners in Bavaria is still at an alarmingly high level. This trend towards self-arming is extremely worrying and does not lead to more security,” said Green Party leader Katharina Schulze. The more weapons there are in circulation, the greater the risk that they will fall into the wrong hands. In order to get more control over legal gun owners, Schulze believes that the small gun license should only be issued for a limited period of time.
The number of right-wing extremist gun owners is also a cause for concern. Even if this has been declining for years, in 2021 there are still 76 known right-wing extremists legally in possession of one or more firearms. In 2018 there were still 191 – but the number is subject to fluctuations. The number of gun permits given to right-wing extremists also fell in 2021. For gun ownership cards by 38 percent from 57 to 35 and for the small gun license by 36 percent from 71 to 45.
“Unfortunately, the disarmament of the right-wing extremist scene is slow following the tightening of gun laws in 2021 – there are still 76 gun owners and 80 gun licenses in Bavaria in the right-wing extremist scene, and I expect the Söder government to finally take consistent action here,” stressed Schulze . Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) must declare the rapid disarmament of the right-wing extremist scene to be a top priority.