Green gun ownership card for heirs; application

If you have inherited weapons and/or ammunition, you must immediately notify the competent authority that you have taken possession of the weapons. In addition, within one month of accepting the inheritance or the expiry of the period within which you could have waived the inheritance, you must apply for the issue of a firearms possession card for the firearms subject to authorization belonging to the estate or for their entry in an already issued firearms possession card.

If you already have a firearms ownership card (WBK), you can have the inherited firearms entered on it if you can prove that you also have a need for the inherited firearms (e.g. as a hunter, sports marksman, traditional marksman, firearms or ammunition collector, firearms or ammunition expert, person at risk, firearms manufacturer or firearms dealer or as a security company).

If you cannot prove a need to possess the inherited weapons, you must render the weapons unusable or have them fitted with a state-of-the-art blocking system. Ammunition requiring a permit must be rendered unusable or given to an authorized person. However, you do not have to have the weapons blocked if you already have a gun ownership card.

You must have all modifications to the inherited weapons demonstrably carried out by a specialist and notify the competent authority accordingly (see under "Related topics" - "Inherited weapons; notification of the installation of a blocking system"). If or as long as there is no suitable blocking system available on the market for one or more inherited weapons, exceptions to the obligation to fit all inherited weapons with a blocking system that meets the latest safety standards can be approved on request

As a community of heirs, you can also apply for a joint permit. If not everyone wishes to inherit the weapons, these persons must declare that they renounce the inheritance. In order to obtain the joint permit, all members of a community of heirs must each prove their need and the requirements are checked for all applicants.

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

In order to obtain permission to possess weapons and ammunition that require a permit, you must generally

• be of the appropriate age and
• Your need,
• Your reliability under firearms law,
• your personal suitability,
• your expertise in handling weapons and ammunition and
• the safe storage of weapons and ammunition

prove this.

• You must be at least 18 years old.
  
  If you are under 25 years of age, you will be asked by the relevant firearms authority to submit a specialist medical or psychological report/certificate on your mental aptitude. You must pay for the certificate yourself and send the original by post to the relevant firearms authority.
  
  If you are a hunter, you do not need such a certificate.
  
• You must prove that it is necessary for you to continue to possess the inherited weapons and ammunition (need).
  
  In order to be allowed to continue to possess the inherited weapons and ammunition, you must provide the competent weapons authority with a credible reason (need). A credible reason is usually recognized if
  • You are a hunter.
  • you are a sport shooter.
  • Your life is at great risk.
  • you can credibly demonstrate other reasons why you want to own weapons and ammunition.

If you cannot credibly demonstrate a need to possess the inherited weapons, you must have the weapons requiring a permit fitted with a blocking system (see above for more information). This does not apply if you already have a gun ownership card.

• You must prove your reliability under firearms law.
  
  You may be deemed unreliable under firearms law if, among other things
  • you have been sentenced to a prison sentence of at least 1 year within the last 10 years or have been a member of or supported a prohibited organization in the last 10 years.
  • it can be assumed that you misuse weapons or ammunition or handle them improperly, do not store these items carefully or hand them over to persons who are not authorized to do so.
  • you have been in preventive police custody more than once in the last 5 years with judicial authorization due to violence.
  • you have repeatedly or grossly violated the Weapons Act.
    
• You must prove your personal suitability.
  
  You may be assessed as personally unsuitable if, among other things
  • You are legally incompetent.
  • you are dependent on alcohol or other intoxicating substances, mentally ill or mentally retarded.
  • you suffer from serious illnesses, such as brain injuries, or physical impairments, such as amputations or severe visual impairment.
  • it can be assumed that you do not handle weapons or ammunition carefully or properly or cannot store these items carefully or that there is a concrete danger that you will endanger others or yourself.

You must prove that you have sufficient knowledge of weapons and ammunition and how to handle them (expertise).

In order to be able to prove your expertise in handling weapons and ammunition, you must have taken part in a corresponding course. The course comprises a theoretical and practical part. At the end of the course, you will take an examination before an authorized examination board. If you pass the examination, you will receive proof of the weapons and ammunition for which you have acquired the certificate of competence. You can also obtain the certificate of competence only for the weapons and ammunition you wish to own.

You do not have to take a separate certificate of competence test if you can prove the required certificate of competence in another way, e.g. if you have passed the hunter's examination or an equivalent examination as a hunter. In these cases, you only need to provide suitable evidence.

• You must prove that you can store weapons and ammunition safely.
  
  You must store weapons and ammunition safely. This generally means that only you as the authorized person have access to weapons and ammunition, for example by carrying the key with you at all times. If you do not store your weapons and ammunition securely, you are committing an administrative offense for which a fine of up to EUR 10,000 can be imposed. In addition, your reliability under firearms law may be called into question and your firearms possession card may be revoked.
  
  When submitting your application, you must provide information on the storage location and the container in which you wish to store weapons and ammunition. The storage requirements are based on § 13 of the General Weapons Act Ordinance (AWaffV). In cases of doubt, please contact the authority responsible for you. In principle, you can use the following guidelines as a guide:
  • You must store ammunition requiring a permit in a sheet steel cabinet/container with a swing bolt lock or an equivalent locking device.
  • To store long guns and handguns that require a permit, you need a gun cabinet. The type of gun cabinet you need depends on the number and type of weapons and/or ammunition you wish to purchase and own.
    • You can store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 5 handguns and ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade 0 in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard weighing up to 200 kilograms.
    • You may store an unlimited number of long weapons, up to 10 short weapons and ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade 0 in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard weighing over 200 kilograms.
    • In a gun cabinet with resistance grade I in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard, you may store an unlimited number of long guns and handguns as well as ammunition.
  • The following regulations apply to the location where you may set up the gun cabinet:
    • You may also store up to 3 long guns in buildings that are not permanently inhabited, such as a hunting lodge or a weekend house. However, you need a gun cabinet with resistance grade 1 for this.
    • If you live in a shared household with another person who is also entitled to own weapons, you may store the weapons in a shared gun cabinet.
  • It is also permitted to store weapons and ammunition with a weapons dealer. You must provide appropriate proof of this.

You must apply for the green gun ownership card for heirs or the entry of the inherited weapon in your existing gun ownership card at the relevant firearms authority. Submit the application together with the required documents.

The firearms authority will issue the green firearms possession card for heirs or make the entry in the firearms possession card if you meet the necessary requirements.

Notification: immediately

Application for a gun ownership permit: one month after acceptance of the inheritance or expiry of the period prescribed for waiving the inheritance

• The following documents are required:
  
  • Personalausweis oder Reisepass (Kopie)
  • Aufbewahrungsnachweis, zum Beispiel Kaufvertrag für einen Waffenschrank und/oder Fotos von Waffenschrank und Aufstellungsort
  • wenn unter  25 Jahren: fachärztliches oder fachpsychologisches Zeugnis über Ihre geistige Eignung 
  • nur bei Erbengemeinschaft: gegebenenfalls Verzichtserklärung, dass die anderen Mitglieder der Erbengemeinschaft die Waffen nicht besitzen wollen

The fees for issuing the green gun ownership card are between 30 and 150 EUR.

If a joint permit is to be issued, an additional 50% of the fee charged for the gun ownership card is charged for each additional person registered.

The fee for entering the right to possess inherited weapons in an existing firearms possession card is 75% of the fee for the respective firearms possession card.