Austrian Green Party demand stricter Gun laws after Munich attack

Austria's Green Party is calling for stricter gun laws following the suspected terrorist attack in Munich authorities say was carried out by an 18-year-old Austrian, who was not supposed to own firearms.

"It is unacceptable that an 18-year-old who is subject to a weapons ban can obtain a firearm without any controls," the Green's parliamentary group was quoted as saying in the newspaper Der Standard. The Greens and the Austrian Peoples Party (ÖVP) rule Austria in a coalition government.

The young Austrian shooter, who was killed by the police, had acquired an old rifle and ammunition from a private gun collector despite the ban. According to Austrian law, it was a category C weapon. This group includes long guns that are reloaded by hand, which includes most hunting rifles.

Private sellers of such weapons are not obliged to check a possible weapons ban - in contrast to professional dealers. In the case of private sales, a buyer can take possession of a purchased weapon immediately, whereas when a firearm is bought from a dealer, possession is possible after a three-day "cooling-off period."

The Greens called on Interior Minister Gerhard Karner of ÖVP to push through a "significant tightening up" to a general ban on the private sale of weapons.

ÖVP Secretary General Christian Stocker has signalled his willingness to examine possible loopholes in the law. However, he rejected a ban on private arms sales in comments made to the Standard newspaper.

After the shooting near the Israeli consulate in Munich, however, the ÖVP again called for extended powers to monitor electronic messages in order to combat extremism.