Quote:
Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II
I am very familiar with the use of firearms, and I can tell you about other societies where firearms control was introduced for the "greater good": Nazi Germany, Ceaucescu's Romania, Franco's Spain and many other happy regimes..
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I do't know who told you that crap, but not even the Nazis had a hard Firearms Control law (for Pistols and Rifles, full automatic weapons never had been legal in Germany). The first Firearms control came with the Allies in 1945 when ownership was absolutley prohibited and in 1948 when the Federal Rebublic of Germany was founded, the Allied Firearms Policy was taken as Federal law by the new German Government, that was the Deal for getting back limited sovereignty.
The 1938 German Weapons Act
The 1938 German Weapons Act, the precursor of the current weapons law, superseded the 1928 law. As under the 1928 law, citizens were required to have a permit to carry a firearm and a separate permit to acquire a firearm. Furthermore, the law restricted ownership of firearms to "...persons whose trustworthiness is not in question and who can show a need for a (gun) permit." Under the new law:
Gun restriction laws applied only to handguns**, not to long guns or ammunition. Writes Prof. Bernard Harcourt of the University of Chicago, "The 1938 revisions completely deregulated the acquisition and transfer of rifles and shotguns, as well as ammunition."
The groups of people who were exempt from the acquisition permit requirement expanded.
Holders of annual hunting permits, government workers, and NSDAP party members were no longer subject to gun ownership restrictions.
Prior to the 1938 law, only officials of the central government, the states, and employees of the German Reichsbahn Railways were exempted.
The age at which persons could own guns was lowered from 20 to 18.
The firearms carry permit was valid for three years instead of one year.
Jews were forbidden from the manufacturing or ownership of firearms and ammunition.
Under both the 1928 and 1938 acts, gun manufacturers and dealers were required to maintain records with information about who purchased guns and the guns' serial numbers. These records were to be delivered to a police authority for inspection at the end of each year.
On November 11, 1938, the Minister of the Interior, Wilhelm Frick, passed Regulations Against Jews Possession of Weapons.
This regulation effectively deprived all Jews of the right to possess firearms or other weapons.
**= which ment a maximum for owned Handguns except for historical collections)