- There are now thought to be estimated 900,000 firearms in Austrian homes
- Police say around 70,000 guns have been sold this year alone in Austria
- Dealers say shotguns have almost sold out because you don’t need permit
- Women are driving the sales rush as fears grow amid influx of refugees
Weapon sales are soaring in Austria as citizens of the small Alpine nation become paranoid over the numbers of refugees crowding into their country. In a country of 8.5 million people, there are now an estimated 900,000 firearms in homes. And gun dealers report that it is women driving the sales rush. This year alone, police say 70,000 guns have been sold.
‘Virtually all shotguns are currently sold out, because you need no permit for them’, said Thomas Ortner, spokesman for an arms dealer in Upper Austria.
For every other type of weapon, a licence is required. Licence courses, in which applicants must demonstrate knowledge of firearms, used to take place every five weeks but they are now held weekly because of spiking demand.
In cities like Salzburg, a line of people outside the necessary government office to get the paperwork to buy a gun is now an everyday sight. Broadcasters and local media say the numbers of refugees – coupled with a fear of break-ins as a result – is fuelling the arms race. ‘Because of the social change, people want to protect themselves,’ one arms dealer told the broadcaster oe.24. He said ‘many women’ were among his customers.
The flood of ‘refugees’ into Austria is continuing without interruption. The Hungarian route has become less active, and traffic is now flowing at a rapid rate through Slovenia instead.
Czech Independent TV also reported on the arms upsurge. As of Monday most rifles in the country are out of stock. The daily paper Heute reported recently: ‘The cash registers are currently ringing loud at local gun dealers. ‘Figures of the Ministry of the Interior prove it: more and more people are buying guns and rifles.’ A Central weapon register was introduced in June 2014 to record all legal firearm sales. This year over 14,000 new weapons have been purchased.
Dealers reported that women are also driving up sales of pepper spray because of their fears for personal security in the midst of the great migration of refugees heading to Germany. ‘We cannot complain about a lack of demand,’ said Stephan Mayer, a gun merchant. ‘People want to protect themselves. ‘The most common purchasers of arms are primarily Austrian women who are also buying tear [pepper] sprays, which are much in demand.’ The new trend is in stark contrast to previous business which was driven by the hunting brigade.
A Viennese sociologist, Roland Girtler, said: ‘Migration, in all of human history, comes with many worries. ‘Many see danger in these foreigners among them. But this fear is unfounded.’
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