Proposed amendments to the country’s weapons law would extend the prohibition on non-EU migrants owning firearms and now also bladed weapons. This law will enter into force from January 1st, 2019. According to the press, Herbert Kickl (FPÖ), minister of Interior, introduced this amendment because of the higher number of attacks with bladed weapons. Between 2013 and 2017, the number of such attacks doubled. In 2013, the police investigated 1,550 suspects using these kind of weapons, five years later it was 3,282 suspects. The statistics say, that the attacks are caused mostly by Afghans (287), Turks (169), and people from the Russian Federation (111), especially Chechens. If they have a knife, they will commit an administrative offense for which they can be fined or even imprisoned.
Concerning stabbing and cutting weapons, Austrian legislation, perhaps in comparison with Germany, is rather benevolent. There was not explicit designation in the Austrian Weapons Law that governs the ownership of so called “cold weapons” till now.
