Weapons law

The firearms authority at Jülicher Landstraße 178 in Neuss as an office of the district administration will continue to be open to the public at the usual times (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8.30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 3.00 p.m.). For the registration and deregistration of firearms as well as the submission of applications etc., please use the post if possible or hand in your documents at the gate. Weapons licenses (e.g. entries in gun ownership cards) cannot usually be issued on the same day, as a background check is usually required (the last check must not have been carried out more than three months ago). It is not possible to fill out the forms on site. 
Furthermore, please also use the option of contacting us by e-mail (e-mail address: ZA14.neuss [at] polizei.nrw.de). You can also use this address to request your master data sheet with the NWR IDs required for the transfer of weapons with weapons dealers or manufacturers.

Changes to weapons checks

From now on, the police district service will carry out unannounced on-site checks on weapons owners on behalf of the weapons authority.

Important information from the police:

Fraudsters have been gaining unauthorized access to homes in neighbouring authorities under the pretext of checking weapons and stealing the valuables of unsuspecting residents.

Therefore, if in doubt, call our police department on 02131 300-0 and have the accuracy of the check confirmed.

Do you need a firearms form?

We provide you with some important applications and forms as PDF files for download.

If you still have any questions, please contact your clerk at the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district police authority on the following telephone numbers:

If you contact your firearms authority with a firearms-related matter, it will process your personal data to the extent necessary. For more information, please refer to the form "Data protection information from the Rhein-Kreis Neuss firearms authority" (see right).

Office hours are:

Mondays: by appointment

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 08:30 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 15:00
 

Weapon owners take note

Weapons that require a firearms permit are often found during house clearances or deaths.

In such a situation, you should leave the weapon on site and inform the police immediately.

If you have any further questions regarding the surrender of weapons, please contact the ZA 1.4 department (central tasks) of the police in the Rhine district of Neuss on 02131 300-0.

Third Weapons Law Amendment Act regulates stricter checks - constitutional protection must be involved

The 3rd Weapons Law Amendment Act regulates stricter checks - constitutional protection must be involved

. Gesetz zur Änderung des Waffenrechts und weiterer Vorschriften (3. WaffRÄndG) was published in the Bundesgesetzblatt on February 19, 2020. As a result, the following stricter regulations came into force on February 20, 2020:

The background check under firearms law is carried out when a firearms permit is issued for the first time as well as during the regular periodic check (Section 4 (3) WaffG). The weapons authorities are now obliged to involve the responsible constitutional protection authority in addition to the police and other authorities as part of this check (Section 5 Para. 5 WaffG).
In addition, members of associations that pursue anti-constitutional or extremist goals are generally considered unreliable under weapons law (Section 5 Para. 2 No. 3 WaffG). This means that the weapons authorities can deny them permits they have applied for and withdraw permits that have already been issued.
Weapons manufacturers and dealers are obliged to store information on weapons in the National Weapons Register. This is intended to ensure that the entire life cycle of weapons and their essential parts can be traced by the security authorities.

Further information on the changes to weapons legislation can be found at homepage of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI).

On 01.09.2020, the 2nd stage of the 3rd Weapons Law Amendment Act came into force.
What are the most important changes to weapons law since 01.09.2020?

- The need to possess weapons will be reviewed by the authorities every five years in future.
- Certain large magazines will become prohibited items in future.
- The National Weapons Register will be expanded so that the entire life cycle of a weapon - from manufacture to destruction - can be tracked by the authorities in future.
- The federal states will be authorized to set up gun and knife prohibition zones in busy places and educational institutions.

Which magazines will be banned in future?

Magazines for long guns with a capacity of more than ten rounds and for handguns with a capacity of more than 20 rounds will be banned in future. Magazines that fit both long and short weapons will be considered magazines for short weapons, unless the owner also has a suitable long weapon.
Persons who acquired the affected magazines before June 13, 2017 may keep them if they report their possession to their competent firearms authority before the end of one year after the amendment to the law comes into force, i.e. by September 1, 2021 at the latest.
Sport shooters who can prove that they need the large magazines in question to take part in certain shooting competitions abroad will still be able to use them in future with an exemption permit from the Federal Criminal Police Office in accordance with Section 40 (4) of the Weapons Act.

Disclosure obligations for weapons that have been rendered unusable (so-called decommissioned weapons)

The rendering of a firearm unusable must be reported to the weapons authority in future. If a weapon that has been rendered unusable is disposed of, acquired, transferred or destroyed, this must also be reported to the weapons authority. The competent weapons authority must issue the notifying party with a notification certificate.

Acquisition, possession and storage of saluting weapons

Since September 1, 2020, saluting weapons have been subject to a permit requirement. A need and the other requirements set out in § 4 Para. 1 WaffG are required for the acquisition and possession of salute weapons. Salute weapons must be stored in the same way as permit-free weapons. If, on September 1, 2020, someone possessed a salute weapon requiring a permit that they acquired before this date, they must apply for a permit to possess it by September 1, 2021 at the latest, providing proof of the need, or hand the weapon over to an authorized person, the competent authority or a police station.

Limitation of the yellow weapon possession card for sport shooters

Since September 1, 2020, the number of weapons that can be acquired on a yellow weapon possession card has been limited to ten. If someone already possessed more than ten weapons on 01.09.2020 on the basis of a yellow weapon possession card, the permit is valid for the registered number as long as the possession exists.