Current police figures More and more Bonn citizens possess a small firearms licence

Bonn · More and more people in Bonn are carrying a small firearms licence. According to police, the number has more than doubled since 2014. The licence entitles the holder to carry alarm, gas and signal weapons.

 Increasingly more people in Bonn have the right to use, for example, a blank cartridge pistol.

Increasingly more people in Bonn have the right to use, for example, a blank cartridge pistol.

Foto: Oliver Killig/Archiv

The number of Bonn citizens holding a so-called small firearms licence continues to rise. This was revealed by an enquiry by the citizens’ federation of Bonn.

According to the information request, the number more than doubled from 2,126weapons in 2014 to 5,523 by September 2019. The licence entitles the holder to carry alarm, gas and signal weapons.

The latest figures from Bonn police show that in their area of responsibility, as many as 5,585 people currently hold a small firearms licence. After almost doubling to 4,269 licences in 2016, the absolute number continues to grow – but at a slower rate.

More small arms licenses is a nationwide development

The increase in the registration figures for a small firearms licence is a nationwide development, not a regional phenomenon, says police spokesman Simon Rott and adds: “The increase is often associated with the events of Cologne New Year's Eve 2015/2016 and a subsequent related change in the subjective feeling of security. In our area of responsibility, the registration figures for 2016 in particular are strikingly high. Since then, there has been a significant decrease in new registrations.”

Marcel Schmitt, parliamentary party leader of the citizens’ federation, comes to a different conclusion. He says: “The drastic increase shows how the citizens' sense of security actually is – despite all the allegedly declining statistics on criminal offences. There is a latent sense of insecurity in the population, which must be counteracted by the police and the security service having a greater presence on our streets.”

(Original text: Rüdiger Franz, Editor Bonn, translation John Chandler)

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