Apply for a yellow gun possession card for an individual sport shooter

You must apply for the yellow firearms possession card at the relevant firearms authority. Submit the application along with the required documents.

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

Weapons authorities

Weapons authorities

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

• For other firearms, the minimum age is 21 years.

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

• You must prove that you have been a member of a recognized shooting sports club for at least twelve months and have practiced shooting sports regularly in the past twelve months (at least once a month or at least 18 times within a year).
   
• They must be reliable in terms of weapons law.
  
  Among other things, you can be considered unreliable under weapons law if
  • 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 organisation in the last 10 years.
  • it can be assumed that you misuse or improperly handle weapons or ammunition, do not store these items carefully or leave them 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 for violent acts.
  • You have repeatedly or grossly violated the gun law.
     
• They must be personally suitable.
  
  Among other things, you may be assessed as personally unsuitable if:
  • You are legally incapacitated.
  • You are addicted to alcohol or other intoxicating substances, mentally ill or debilitated.
  • You suffer from serious illnesses, such as brain injuries, or physical impairments, such as amputations or severe visual impairments.
  • it can be assumed that you are unable to handle weapons or ammunition carefully or properly or that you are unable to store these items carefully or that there is a concrete risk that you will endanger others or yourself.
     
• You must prove that you have sufficient knowledge of weapons and ammunition as well as their handling (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 includes a theoretical and practical part. At the end of the course, you will take an exam in front of an authorized examination board. If you have passed the exam, you will receive proof of the weapons and ammunition for which you have acquired the expertise. You can also gain the expertise only for the weapons and ammunition you want to acquire and own.

• You will need to prove that you can safely store weapons and ammunition.
  
  In general, this 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 keep your weapons and ammunition safe, you are committing an administrative offence for which a fine of up to EUR 10,000 can be imposed. In addition, this can cast doubt on your reliability under weapons law and revoke your firearms possession card.
  
  When applying, you must provide information on both the location and the container in which you intend to store weapons and ammunition. The storage requirements are based on § 13 of the General Weapons Act Ordinance (AWaffV). In case 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 swivel bolt lock or an equivalent locking device.
  • In order to store long guns and handguns that require a permit, you need a gun safe. Which gun cabinet you need depends on the number and type of weapons and/or ammunition you want to purchase and own.
    • In a gun cabinet with resistance level 0 according to the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard with a weight of up to 200 kilograms, you may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 5 handguns and ammunition.
    • In a gun safe with resistance level 0 according to the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard with a weight of over 200 kilograms, you may store an unlimited number of long guns, up to 10 handguns and ammunition.
    • In a gun cabinet with resistance level I according to the DIN/EN 1143-1 standard, you may store an unlimited number of long guns and handguns as well as ammunition.
  • For the place where you are allowed to set up the gun safe, the following regulations apply in principle:
    • If you live with another person who is also entitled to own a gun, in a common household you are allowed to store the weapons in a common gun safe.

• Identity card or passport (copy)
• Certificate from the Shooting Sports Association
• Proof of competence
• Proof of storage, e.g. purchase contract for a gun safe and/or photos of the gun safe and installation site
• If applicable, a medical or psychological certificate of your mental fitness (if you are under 25 years old)

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

17.03.2023