- FDP factional views: Gun law reform plans not convincing
From the FDP parliamentary group, criticism is coming of the plan by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) to tighten gun laws. "The proposals from the Federal Ministry of the Interior are not convincing," said the deputy parliamentary group leader, Konstantin Kuhle, to the German Press Agency.
Given an increase in knife attacks, Faeser wants to tighten gun laws. In the new gun law, she announced in "Bild am Sonntag" that she would "further restrict the carrying of knives in public spaces." In public, knives with a blade length of up to six centimeters instead of the current twelve centimeters would be allowed to be carried.
"We want to create a general ban on carrying dangerous switchblades. We will present corresponding amendments to the gun law in the near future," said Faeser. She also called on municipalities to set up more gun and knife-free zones.
There are already weapon-free zones in many cities
The federal states could already set up far-reaching knife bans at public places and in public transport under current law, said Kuhle. They should make use of this if they considered such bans necessary. "To contain the growing knife crime, existing bans must be enforced more strictly and violations must be punished," said the FDP politician.
Knives should also not be carried at gatherings, events, folk festivals, and other gatherings for good reason. The carrying of switchblades is already subject to strict rules.
Positive reactions to the minister's initiative came from the Greens. Marcel Emmerich, spokesperson for the Green parliamentary group in the Interior Committee of the Bundestag, said, "Our parliamentary group is open to going down this path." It is consistent for politics to set a signal here. At the same time, one must "tell people the truth" and make it clear that even a corresponding reform "will not bring 100 percent security."
Faeser had presented a draft for the reform of gun laws in January 2023. This draft has been in intergovernmental consultation since then - end open. Above all, the FDP had expressed skepticism about this several times. There was no mention of new regulations for knives in this draft.
The Federal Minister of the Interior had proposed a stricter regulation of blank-firing, signal, and irritant weapons at the time. The checks on reliability and personal suitability for gun ownership would be more extensive.
The criticism from the FDP parliamentary group suggests that they view the proposed gun law changes as inadequate in addressing crime, specifically in light of Faeser's plan to tighten knife laws. The FDP politician, Konstantin Kuhle, emphasizes the need to enforce and strengthen existing knife bans and stricter punishments for violations to combat the rising knife crime.
