Applying for permission to acquire and possess weapons (weapon possession card [WBK]) as shooting sports clubs

If you want to acquire and possess weapons and/or ammunition that require a permit as a shooting sports club, you must apply for a permit from the responsible weapons authority. Basically, you always need a permit to acquire and possess weapons and ammunition.

In general, firearms are objects intended for attack or defence, signalling, hunting, distance injection, marking, sport or play, in which projectiles are propelled through a barrel or in which solid bodies are fired in a targeted manner, the propulsive energy of which can be introduced by muscle power or another energy source and stored or held by a locking device (for example, crossbows, arrow launchers).

A distinction is made between firearms that require a licence and those that do not require a licence. In order to be allowed to carry firearms without a permit, you need a small firearms license (see further information). All weapons that are not alarm shots, irritants and signal weapons with PTB symbols in the circle are counted as requiring a permit. A detailed list of weapons for which you need a gun possession card can be found in Appendix 2 of the Weapons Act.

You must appoint a responsible person who must be reliable and personally suitable in terms of weapons law and who can prove the necessary expertise. This person does not have to be authorized to represent the company, i.e. not a member of the board of directors, for example. If the responsible person leaves the association, you must immediately notify the competent authority and appoint a new responsible person within 2 weeks. Otherwise, the competent authority will revoke your permit to acquire and possess weapons (weapon possession card).

It is recommended that you inform yourself in detail about the regulations of the weapons law before submitting your application.

In order to obtain permission to acquire and possess weapons and ammunition that require a permit, you as a club must be a member of a recognized shooting sports association and be registered in the register of associations as well as prove the safe storage of weapons and ammunition. The responsible person you have appointed must:

• be of the appropriate age, and
• their reliability in terms of weapons law,
• their personal suitability, and
• prove their expertise in the use of weapons and ammunition.

Person in charge

Age

If the person responsible is under 25 years of age, he or she may be asked by the competent firearms authority to submit a medical or psychological report/certificate of mental fitness. The responsible person must pay for the certificate/certificate himself and send it in the original by post to the responsible weapons authority (a copy or e-mail will not be accepted).

As a sport shooter, you must be at least 18 years old. Then you are entitled to purchase and possess firearms up to calibre 5.6 mm lfB (.22 l.r.) for rimfire ammunition with a muzzle energy of the projectiles not exceeding 200 joules (J) and single-shot long guns with smooth barrels of calibre 12 or smaller.

For other firearms, the minimum age for sport shooters is 21 years, provided that you can present a specialist medical or psychological report/certificate of your mental fitness.

Reliability under weapons law

Among other things, the person responsible can be assessed as reliable in terms of weapons law:

1. if he/she has not been sentenced to at least 1 year's imprisonment within the last 10 years and has not been a member of or supported a banned organisation in the last 10 years.
2. if it cannot be assumed that it misuses or mishandles weapons or ammunition, fails to store these items carefully or leaves them available to persons who are not authorised to do so.
3. if she has not been in preventive police custody for violence more than once in the last 5 years with judicial authorisation.
4. if she has not repeatedly or grossly violated the right to bear arms.

Personal suitability

The responsible person may be considered personally unsuitable if, among other things:

1. it is legally incapacitated.
2. they are addicted to alcohol or other intoxicating substances, mentally ill or debilitated.
3. they suffer from serious illnesses, such as brain injuries, or physical impairments, such as amputations or severe visual impairment.
4. it can be assumed that they are unable to handle weapons or ammunition carefully or appropriately, or that they are unable to store these items carefully, or that there is a real risk that they may endanger others or themselves.

Ability

The person responsible must prove that he or she can handle weapons and ammunition appropriately. In order to acquire the expertise in the handling of weapons and ammunition, she must take part in an appropriate course. The course consists of a theoretical and practical part. At the end of the course, an examination is taken in front of an authorized examination board. If the test has been passed, the responsible person receives proof of the weapons and ammunition for which the expertise was acquired. The person in charge can also obtain the expertise only for the weapons and ammunition that you want to acquire and possess as a shooting sports club.

The responsible person does not have to take a separate competence test if he/she

• the hunter's examination or an equivalent examination, or
• has passed a journeyman's examination for the gunsmith's trade, or
• has worked full-time in the firearms and ammunition trade for at least 3 years.

In these cases, only appropriate evidence needs to be provided.

Safekeeping

You need to keep weapons and ammunition safe. In general, this means that only the person in charge has access to weapons and ammunition, for example by carrying the key with him at all times or otherwise keeping it safe. If you do not store your weapons and ammunition safely, you are committing an administrative offence for which a fine of up to 10,000 euros can be imposed. In addition, the reliability of the responsible person in terms of weapons law can be called into question and you, as a shooting sports club, may have your weapon possession card revoked.

When applying, you must provide information about both the storage location and the container in which you want to store weapons and ammunition. Basically, you can use the following guidelines as a guide:

• Ammunition requiring a permit must be stored in a sheet steel cabinet/container with a swing bolt lock.
• In order to store long guns and handguns that require a permit, as well as ammunition that requires a permit, you need a gun safe. The gun safe you need depends on the number and type of weapons and/or ammunition you want to purchase and possess.
  • In a gun safe with resistance grade 0 according to EN 1143-1 weighing up to 200 kilograms , you may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 5 handguns and ammunition.
  • In a gun safe with resistance grade 0 according to EN 1143-1 weighing more than 200 kilograms, you may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 10 handguns and ammunition.
  • In a gun safe with resistance grade 1 according to EN 1143-1, you are allowed to store an unlimited number of long guns and handguns as well as ammunition. ​​​​​​​
• The following rules apply to the place where you are allowed to place the gun safe:
  • If you live in an apartment building, it is not allowed to place the gun safe in the basement if each resident has only one so-called cellar shed, which is only secured with a door with a padlock.
  • You are also allowed to store up to 3 long guns in buildings that are not permanently occupied, such as a hunting lodge or a weekend house. To do this, however, you will need a gun safe with resistance level 1.
  • If you live in the same household as another gun owner, you may store the guns in a shared gun safe.
• It is also allowed to store weapons and ammunition at an arms dealer. You will need to provide proof of this.