A German Trade Union Leader Calls for Stricter Gun Laws in Wake of School Shooting in Austria
In the wake of a school shooting in Graz, Austria, the head of the German Police Union, Jochen Kopelke, is urging for stricter gun laws in Germany. In an interview with the Rheinische Post, Kopelke emphasized the need for a simpler and more stringent weapons law, aimed at removing firearms and knives from public spaces.
Kopelke criticized the current German weapons law, describing it as overly complex and unclear. He specifically cited the need for stricter regulations on airsoft guns, imitation weapons, as well as knives and other weapons. The union leader called for the requirement of a weapons permit for the possession of airsoft guns in the future.
In contrast, the vice-chair of the Federal Association of German Criminal Investigators, Eike Bone-Winkel, advocated for “understandable and practical” regulations in the weapons law. Bone-Winkel stressed the need for a more consistent disarming of extremists and individuals with severe mental health issues, arguing that the legal possession of weapons by such individuals reveals a significant enforcement deficiency.