Apply for a green gun ownership card as an heir

Prerequisites

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

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

prove.

Reliability under gun law
They must be reliable under gun law.
You can be considered unreliable under gun law if, among other things:

• You have been legally sentenced to a prison sentence of at least one year within the last 10 years or have been a member of or supported a banned organization in the last 10 years.
• It can be assumed that you misuse or handle weapons or ammunition improperly, do not store these items carefully or leave them to people who are not authorized to do so.
• In the last 5 years you have been in preventive police custody more than once with court approval for violence.
• You have repeatedly or grossly violated gun laws.

Personal suitability
They must be personally suitable.
You can be considered personally unsuitable, among other things, if:

• you are incapacitated.
• You are addicted to alcohol or other intoxicating substances, mentally ill or debilitated.
• 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 are unable to store these items carefully or that there is a real risk that you will endanger others or yourself.

Documents required

• Identity card or passport (copy)
• Proof of storage, for example purchase agreement for a gun safe and/or photos of the gun safe and location
• If necessary, a specialist medical or psychological certificate about your mental suitability (if you are under 21 for sport shooters or under 25 for other people)
• only for community of heirs: if necessary, waiver that the other members of the community of heirs do not want to own the weapons

Please note

Due to many telephone inquiries, we are sometimes difficult to reach by telephone.

All firearms and hunting law matters can also be handled in writing
to be edited. Applications as well as hunting and weapons law documents can be sent by post,
Email or by putting it in your home mailbox.

Due to the current situation, processing at the hunting and weapons authority may take several months.
We ask for your patience and will get back to you without being asked.

Deadlines

Notification: immediately


Application for a firearm ownership permit: one month from acceptance of the inheritance or expiry of the period prescribed for renunciation of the inheritance

Procedure

You must apply for the green weapon ownership card for heirs or to register the inherited weapon in your existing weapon ownership card from the responsible weapons authority. Submit the application along with the required documents.

The weapons authority issues the green weapon ownership card for heirs or makes the entry on the weapon ownership card if you meet the necessary requirements.

Legal basis

§ 20 Weapons Act (WaffG)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/waffg_2002/__20.html


§ 37c paragraph 1 number 1 Weapons Act (WaffG)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/waffg_2002/__37c.html

If you have inherited weapons and/or ammunition, you must immediately report the seizure of the weapons to the responsible authorities. In addition, within one month after you have accepted the inheritance or after the period within which you could have rejected the inheritance has expired, you must apply for the issuance of a firearms ownership card for the firearms that are subject to licensing and belonging to the estate or for their entry into a firearms ownership card that has already been issued.

If you already have a weapon ownership card (WBK), you can, as long as you can prove a need for the inherited weapons (e.g. as a hunter, sport shooter, traditional shooter, weapon or ammunition collector, weapon or ammunition expert, person at risk, as a weapon manufacturer or weapons dealer, etc.). as a security contractor) have the inherited weapons registered there.

If you cannot demonstrate a need to own the inherited weapons, you must render the weapons unusable or have them fitted with a state-of-the-art blocking system. Ammunition that requires authorization must be rendered unusable or handed over 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 changes to the inherited weapons carried out by a specialist and reported accordingly to the responsible authorities. If or as long as there is no corresponding blocking system for one or more inherited weapons on the market, exceptions to the obligation to provide all inherited weapons with a blocking system that corresponds to the state of the art in safety technology can be permitted - upon request.

As a community of heirs, you can also apply for a joint permit. If not everyone wants to inherit the weapons, these people must declare that they are giving up the inheritance. In order to receive the joint permit, all members of a community of heirs must prove their need and the requirements for all applicants are checked.

It is recommended that you find out more about the gun law regulations before submitting your application.

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

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

prove.