Free weapons are all weapons that can be purchased freely from the age of 18 - no acquisition permit such as a firearms ownership card or hunting license is required. Free weapons include air rifles (with "F in a pentagon" and a maximum muzzle energy of 7.5 joules), SRS weapons, which are blank-firing, irritant gas, and signal weapons, as well as paintball markers or softair/airsoft weapons.
Free weapons must be marked; not every air rifle is freely available for sale. Air rifles that are too powerful or not properly marked, for example, are not freely available; one must have a firearms ownership card or another acquisition permit for these.
Below is a list of the most important free weapons and how they must be marked.
Below is a detailed list of the most important free weapons
Air rifles are long guns that propel projectiles using compressed gases. They are used for recreational purposes as well as for sport shooting. Most, but not all, air rifles are available for purchase from the age of 18. The conditions for this are: The air rifle must have a maximum muzzle energy of 7.5 joules and must be properly marked, and the air rifle must be marked with the F in a pentagon .
An exception to this rule is particularly old air rifles: If an air rifle was manufactured and brought to market before January 1, 1970, or before April 2, 1991, in the territory of the former GDR (Weapons Act, Annex 2, Section 2, Subsection 2, No. 1.2), it is also freely available for purchase from the age of 18 with higher muzzle energy and without the marking F in a pentagon.
However, there are also air rifles that are stronger than 7.5 joules, known as long-range air rifles. These are not illegal but must be registered in a firearms ownership card. It is not allowed to retroactively strengthen freely available air rifles with so-called “export springs.”
These rules also apply to air pistols, which operate on the same principle. They are simply shorter than air rifles.
CO2 pistols are colloquially distinguished from air pistols or spring-piston pistols in that they have a CO2 cartridge. The shooter does not need to mechanically compress air for the next shot, which is why CO2 pistols can mimic “real” pistols in both design and appearance.
SRS weapons are often colloquially referred to as gas pistols or blank-firing pistols. SRS stands for blank-firing, irritant substance, and signal.
An SRS weapon can be acquired and possessed from the age of 18. A small firearms license is required to carry a blank-firing weapon, which must be applied for at the responsible firearms authority. Often, the local regulatory office is responsible.
Anyone carrying an SRS weapon without a small firearms license is committing an offense.
The majority of gas pistols are semi-automatic self-loading pistols. In this case, during the loading process, a cartridge is loaded from the magazine into the barrel, and then the gas weapon can be fired as many times as the magazine is empty. The current models of self-loading pistols use cartridge ammunition in caliber 9 mm P.A.K. (Pistol Automatic Bang).
Airsoft or softair weapons are special air pressure weapons that are mainly used in tactical terrain games. There are airsoft weapons that are freely available for purchase from the age of 14 and those that are available from the age of 18. The difference arises from the muzzle energy: Up to 0.5 joules, they are classified as toys and can be purchased from the age of 14. From 0.5 joules, airsoft weapons are freely available for purchase from the age of 18.
Airsoft weapons are distinguished into three different types depending on their propulsion. Some airsoft weapons are powered by gas, others by spring pressure. Finally, there are electric battery-operated models.
Airsoft weapons, which are mostly modeled after original tactical models from well-known manufacturers, are considered imitation weapons. They closely resemble their original counterparts. Therefore, airsoft weapons are subject to the Weapons Act. You may shoot with them on your own enclosed property, but you must ensure that the pellets do not leave the property. In addition, there are so-called airsoft fields where the property rights of the operator ensure that the weapons can be used there.
Paintball is a tactical game in which players from two or more teams shoot at each other with paintballs. Anyone who is hit must leave the playing field. There are different game modes to determine the winner. In paintball, however, one does not speak of shooting, but of marking. The weapons used to fire the paintballs are therefore called markers.
Markers are subject to the Weapons Act. Up to a muzzle energy of 7.5 joules, they are freely available for purchase from the age of 18. The resulting muzzle velocity of the paintball pellets is about 65 m/s or 230 km/h.
Crossbows are legally treated as firearms, unlike bows. However, the Weapons Act also states that they are not subject to acquisition permits. They are therefore freely available for purchase from the age of 18. Bows are classified as play and sports equipment by law and are thus also freely available for purchase - even if one is not yet of legal age.
We dedicate this extra category to free weapons for self-defense.
Free weapons can be purchased from stationary dealers or through relevant online shops and platforms. Gunfinder combines all offers from all online shops on a single page and is therefore the first address for all interested parties who wish to acquire a free weapon.
Free weapons may not be carried in public. A small firearms license is required for this.
With free weapons, shooting is generally allowed at shooting ranges or shooting facilities designed for this purpose, as well as on your own enclosed property.
Unlike firearms, blank-firing weapons do not need to be stored in a safe or gun cabinet. A locked cabinet or a locked container is sufficient - it must be ensured that the weapon is not freely accessible.
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