Germany has some of the world's strictest gun laws, but illegal weapons remain a threat
Ali David Sonboly, the dual German-Iranian national behind Friday’s attack outside a shopping mall in which nine people died, obtained his Glock firearm illegally and he did not have a license
Germany has some of the world’s strictest gun laws. But that did not stop Friday’s Munich attacker -- an 18-year-old dual Iranian-German national - from carrying out his shooting spree.
The assailant most likely obtained his Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol illegally and did not have a license, German police officials said Saturday. That development could have worrisome implications for a country that has already exhausted most legal means to prevent such shooting sprees.
“Germany has a good system of legal gun ownership, but illegal firearms pose a big problem,” said Nils Duquet, a weapons expert in Belgium who works for the Flemish Peace Institute. According to Duquet, there are millions of illegal weapons in Europe, but he said it is impossible to know exactly how many.
Following two horrifying school shootings in 2002 and 2009, German lawmakers passed stricter gun legislation that made it harder to legally obtain weapons. Buyers younger than 25 must now pass a psychological exam before being able to acquire firearms in Germany. Shooting incidents significantly dropped as a consequence.