Berlin Senate wants to intensify the fight against illegal firearms. According to the Tagesspiegel, a legislative proposal to amend gun laws at the federal level is to be discussed in the Senate on Tuesday. The goal is to classify the purchase, possession, carrying, trade, and manufacture of firearms without a permit as a crime in the future – currently, such acts are only considered misdemeanors.
Interior State Secretary Christian Hochgrebe (SPD) announced the initiative in the interior committee. The Senate departments for interior and justice jointly prepared the proposal. “It is necessary to qualify the purchase, possession, carrying, trade, and manufacture of firearms without a permit as a crime,” said Hochgrebe. An upgrade would give the police far-reaching investigative powers, such as wiretapping and surveillance measures.
The background is the high availability of weapons in Berlin. “Criminals are increasingly settling their disputes with gun violence in public,” Hochgrebe emphasized. The special unit “Ferrum” of the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) with over 100 officers has seized 44 live firearms and more than 600 rounds of ammunition since fall 2025, initiated 428 investigations, and arrested 36 suspects with arrest warrants.
Police President Barbara Slowik Meisel explained the background of firearm offenses: About half of the live shots fired are related to extortion of Turkish businesspeople by organized gangs from Turkey. The other half is due to personal conflicts, family disputes, or clashes within the clan milieu. However, there is no gang war between large groups.
EuroPulse reported on June 12, 2026, about the nationwide introduction of electronic ankle monitors for violent offenders, which the Bundesrat had approved (europulse.today/bundesrat-billigt-fussfessel-fuer-gewalttaeter).
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
