Germany saw increase last year in gun-related crime

Germany recorded an increase in gun-related crime last year, according to statistics released by the Criminal Police Office on Friday.

This included about 35,800 violations of the Weapons Law – which covers the production, sale, ownership, storage and use of weapons and ammunition – or 6.3% more cases than the previous year, according to the report.

Another 563 violations – a 4.3% increase – were covered by a separate law regulating weapons of war, which requires specific government authorizations.

Most of the cases likely involve the illegal acquisition, possession, possession and importation of weapons, according to the information.

More gun crimes

In 2023, more crimes involving the use of firearms were recorded than in the previous year, with the number increasing 6.7% to about 9,100, according to the federal report.

“The number of cases in which a threat was made with a firearm increased by 8% and the number of cases in which a firearm was fired was 5.5% higher than the previous year,” the BKA stated.

Globally, however, the proportion of crimes involving the use of firearms is very low, corresponding to 0.15% of all statistically recorded cases.

Illegally converted gas pistols

According to the BKA, investigators focused in particular on the professional and illegal modification of gas pistols – replicas of blank-firing weapons – particularly of Turkish origin, as well as the illegal manufacture of firearms.

In the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, for example, police seized 40 modified gas pistols in June 2023 in a truck arriving from Turkey.

Warzone weapons

“For years, former regions of war and crisis have been a source of firearms and their illegal trade,” the BKA report states.

“The Western Balkan countries, in particular, are still in the spotlight due to the high availability of firearms, even more than 30 years after the end of the wars,” he noted.

Most of these weapons are smuggled via land routes. Organized and illegal smuggling of firearms from Ukraine to Germany has not yet been detected, according to the BKA.

High release rate

In 2023, the resolution rate for offenses against the Weapons Act was around 92%, and a good 83% for offenses against the War Weapons Control Act.

The BKA attributes these high rates to the fact that gun crimes are discovered during police checks, meaning that the gun and the suspect are often detected together.