German gun club lobbyists were invited to the German Interior Ministry (BMI) in December to discuss something that has been bothering them for a while—the European Commission’s proposed plans to further tighten Europe’s gun laws, which were suddenly revived from legislative stagnation in the wake of the Islamic State attacks in Paris in November.
The European Commission has also been a driving force behind the global gun control deliberations at the United Nations.
By all accounts, the BMI visit was a success.
“The proposal contains things that the BMI said would be difficult for them, and where changes would be called for,” said Joachim Streitberger, head of Germany’s association of shooting ranges (BVS), after he emerged from the meeting. “After this conversation I do not expect the draft to come into force in the present form.”
The ministry, for its part, wasn’t keen to let Streitberger take the words from its mouth, emphasizing afterwards that it had not yet taken a “final position” on the reforms. In a statement released to German media, the BMI said that it “welcomed in principle and provisionally… regulations for the expansion…and improved interconnection of the weapons registry among member states.”
One gun used in the Charlie Hebdo attack was reportedly bought legally, but at the same time, there have been reports that many Europeans are more interested in a relaxation of existing gun laws following the Jihadi attacks.
There is a reason why the ministry is being so circumspect. According to a report in Der Spiegel magazine, confidential EU reports suggest that the German government—along with its Austrian, Czech and Finnish counterparts—is keen to put the brakes on the EU’s plans.
The Commission’s statement seems to indicate that the German government is essentially on the same page as the hunting lobby about the new measures.
