The possession of Category B firearms such as pistols will in the future only be permitted from the age of 25 instead of 21, while Category C firearms, such as rifles, will only be allowed from the age of 21. A psychological evaluation will be mandatory when applying for the first time and again after five years. In addition, checks will be carried out every five years. For Category C weapons, a firearms ownership card will now also be required, just as it already is for Category B weapons. This is outlined in the draft law proposed by the governing parties.
The proposal was sent to all parliamentary groups on Wednesday and is scheduled for discussion in the domestic policy committee on Thursday. A two-week review period in the form of a committee evaluation is planned, according to a release from the SPÖ parliamentary group. “Today we are introducing the toughest tightening of gun laws since their inception,” emphasized SPÖ security spokesman Maximilian Köllner.
The immediate reason for the stricter laws was the school shooting in Graz on June 10, when a 21-year-old killed nine students, a teacher, and himself at his former high school. “Against this background, the review of firearms reliability must be fundamentally revised and improved,” states the draft law, which was obtained by APA.
Stricter evaluations, longer cooling-off period, data exchange
For the clinical-psychological evaluations required when applying for a firearms permit, quality standards are to be raised. To that end, a personal exploratory interview will be introduced. In addition, a five-year probationary period is planned to ensure that reliability checks are carried out again after that time.
Instead of the current three-day waiting period, the purchase of a firearm for the first time will in the future require a four-week waiting period. This “cooling-off phase” is intended to prevent impulse purchases. Cooperation between authorities will also be strengthened. In the future, the firearms authority will receive information on a person’s suitability for mandatory military or training service. The Graz shooter had in fact been deemed unfit for service due to psychological instability by the military’s assessment commission.
Partially retroactive application
The stricter rules will partly apply retroactively. Persons without a valid hunting license who applied for a firearms certificate between June 1, 2025, and the date the new law comes into effect “must submit a clinical-psychological evaluation (…) to the firearms authority by the next reliability check.” If this evaluation is not provided or shows that the individual tends to be careless or reckless with firearms, particularly under psychological stress, the firearms authority must revoke the permit, according to the draft law.
For persons who, at the time the law comes into effect, are not yet 25 years old but legally own Category A or B firearms or essential components, “the acquisition, possession, and carrying of firearms shall continue to be permitted within the scope of their existing firearms permits.” The same applies to those who do not hold a firearms permit but legally own a Category C firearm registered more than two years before the announcement of the new law. However, if the first registration of a Category C firearm took place within the past two years, a firearms permit and therefore a reliability check including a clinical-psychological evaluation must be obtained retroactively.
Greens demand even stricter rules
“Especially the fact that in the future a firearms ownership card will be required for all firearms is, in our view, a necessary improvement,” said Green Party security spokeswoman Agnes Sirkka Prammer in a statement. “We Greens will continue to push for even stricter rules and greater safety,” she emphasized.
