Yellow gun permit for individual marksmen; application

The yellow firearms possession card entitles you to possess up to a total of ten

• Single-shot long guns with smooth and rifled barrels,
• Repeating long rifles with rifled barrels,
• single-barrel single-action short-barreled rifles for cartridge ammunition,
• multi-shot short and long guns with primer ignition (percussion weapons)

to acquire. Other types of weapons can only be acquired with the "green" gun ownership card (see "Related topics").

It is recommended that you inform yourself in detail about the regulations of firearms law before submitting your application.

In order to obtain a yellow gun possession card, you must

• have the appropriate age and
• your membership of at least one year in a shooting club and
• provide evidence of regular shooting,
• the reliability under firearms law and
• have personal suitability,
• Your expertise in handling weapons and ammunition and
• prove the safe storage of weapons and ammunition.

• You must be at least 18 years old (21 for large-caliber weapons).
  
  A minimum age of 18 years applies to the purchase of
  • Firearms up to a caliber of 5.6 mm lfB (.22 l.r.) for ammunition with rimfire ignition, if the muzzle energy of the projectiles does not exceed 200 joules, and
  • Single-shot long guns with smooth barrels with a caliber of 12 gauge or smaller, provided that sport shooting with such weapons is permitted by the approved sporting regulations of a shooting sports association (§ 14 para. 1 sentence 2 WaffG).

The minimum age for other firearms is 21 years.

If you are under 25 years of age and wish to purchase firearms other than the (small-caliber) firearms specified in Section 14 (1) sentence 2 WaffG, you will be asked by the competent weapons authority to submit a specialist medical or specialist psychological report/certificate on your mental aptitude. You must pay for the certificate yourself and send the original by post to the relevant firearms authority.

• You must prove that you have been a member of a recognized shooting club for at least twelve months and have practised shooting regularly in the past twelve months (at least once a month or at least 18 times within a year).
   
• You must be reliable under firearms law.
  
  You may be deemed unreliable under firearms law if, among other things
  • you have been sentenced to at least one year's imprisonment 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 weapons or ammunition or handle them improperly, do not store these items carefully or hand them over to persons who are not authorized to do so.
  • you have been in preventive police custody more than once in the last 5 years with judicial authorization because of violence.
  • you have repeatedly or grossly violated firearms legislation.
     
• You must be personally suitable.
  
  You may be assessed as personally unsuitable if, among other things
  • you are legally incapable.
  • you are dependent on alcohol or other intoxicating substances, mentally ill or mentally retarded.
  • 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 that you cannot store these items carefully or that there is a concrete danger that you will endanger others or yourself.
     
• You must prove that you have sufficient knowledge of weapons and ammunition and how to handle them (expertise).
  
  In order to be able to prove your expertise in handling weapons and ammunition, you must have taken part in a corresponding course. The course comprises a theoretical and practical part. At the end of the course, you will take an examination before an authorized examination board. If you pass the examination, you will receive a certificate stating the weapons and ammunition for which you have acquired the certificate of competence. You can also obtain the certificate of competence only for the weapons and ammunition that you wish to acquire and possess.
  
   

• You must prove that you can store weapons and ammunition safely.
  
  This generally means that only you as the authorized person have access to weapons and ammunition, for example by carrying the key with you at all times. If you do not store your weapons and ammunition securely, you are committing an administrative offense for which a fine of up to EUR 10,000 can be imposed. In addition, your reliability under firearms law may be called into question and your firearms possession card may be withdrawn.
  
  When submitting your application, you must provide information on the storage location and the container in which you wish to store weapons and ammunition. The storage requirements are based on § 13 of the General Weapons Act Ordinance (AWaffV). In cases of doubt, please contact the authority responsible for you. In principle, you can use the following guidelines as a guide:
  • Ammunition requiring a permit must be stored in a sheet steel cabinet/container with a swing bolt lock or an equivalent locking device.
  • You need a gun cabinet to store long guns and handguns that require a permit. Which gun cabinet you need depends on the number and type of weapons and/or ammunition you wish to purchase and own.
    • You may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 5 handguns and ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade 0 in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard weighing up to 200 kilograms.
    • You may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 10 handguns and ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade 0 in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard weighing over 200 kilograms.
    • You may store an unlimited number of long guns and handguns as well as ammunition in a gun cabinet with resistance grade I in accordance with the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard.
  • The following regulations generally apply to the location where you may set up the gun cabinet:
    • If you live in a shared household with another person who is also entitled to own weapons, you may store the weapons in a shared gun cabinet.

• Identity card or passport (copy)
• Certificate from the shooting sports association
• Certificate of competence
• Proof of storage, e.g. purchase contract for a gun cabinet and/or photos of the gun cabinet and installation site
• If applicable, a specialist medical or psychological certificate confirming your mental aptitude (if under 25 years old)

The fees for issuing a gun ownership card are between 30.00 and 180.00 EUR. The district administrative authority responsible for you will be happy to provide you with more details.

• § Section 14 (6) of the Weapons Act (WaffG)
• § Section 4 of the Weapons Act (WaffG)
• § Section 36 of the Weapons Act (WaffG)
• § Section 13 General Weapons Act Ordinance (AWaffV)

You must apply for the yellow gun ownership card at the relevant firearms authority. Submit the application together with the required documents.

The firearms authority will issue you with a yellow firearms possession card if you meet the necessary requirements.

• Small firearms license; application
• Weapons possession card; application for hunting association
• Green firearms possession card for individual persons; application
• Red weapons possession card for weapons or ammunition experts; application
• Red gun possession card for gun or ammunition collectors; application
• Firearms license; application