Legal requirements for Firearm Safe

[Socrates]

Hello to all,

I got my Jagdschein two weeks ago after I succesfully completed the NRW Jägerprufung. I am now in the process of buying a firearm safe. I am however having difficulty figuring out some of the requiremens for weapon storage.

Is it neccessary for the safe to be secured to the floor or the wall? Or is it fine if it just stands in a corner somewhere?

We are currently living in a rented appartment and the owner is not keen on my drilling holes in the floor or wall. If it is a legal requirement, then I will have to make another plan.

[Thomas St.]

Hello Socrates,

Congratulations to your Jägerprüfung.

To your question: It is not necessary in general to secure a gun safe to the floor or wall.

If you want to keep more than five pistols or revolvers in your gun safe, it has to be heavier than 200kg or must be secured to the wall or floor equally.

If you have a more lightweigt safe for your rifles or shotguns, it helps to stabilize it in some way, because the door makes a big part of the weight, and it could fall over.

I hope that helps.

Greetings,

Thomas

[Socrates]

Hello Socrates,

Congratulations to your Jägerprüfung.

To your question: It is not necessary in general to secure a gun safe to the floor or wall.

If you want to keep more than five pistols or revolvers in your gun safe, it has to be heavier than 200kg or must be secured to the wall or floor equally.

If you have a more lightweigt safe for your rifles or shotguns, it helps to stabilize it in some way, because the door makes a big part of the weight, and it could fall over.

I hope that helps.

Greetings,

Thomas

Hello Thomas,

Thank you for the info!

Kind regards

Theunis

[Gast]

Hello Theunis,

there is another exception: a safe classified as "Klasse 1".

The (firearm) safes are classified, some following an older standard, some the actual standard. The simpler safes following the older standard are labeled as (Stufe) "A" and "B" safes. I personally would not recommend to buy one of those. The "ifs" and "whens" of how many guns, which guns (handguns or rifles) and storage of ammunition are quite complicate and no one knows, if you can use them permanently or if they will be condemmned by the next worsening of the gun law.

So I personally would recommend, to at least buy a safe classified as "Klasse 0" after the actual standard. You can store your weapons (handguns and rifles/shotguns together) AND your ammunition in it. If it weighs less than 200kg (quite likely in a flat or appartment, you will move out someday...) you can put in five handguns without fixing it to the 200kg-pull-out-weight-rule. If you aren't keen on becoming Sportschütze that should be all you need, because you can have only two of them on your Jäger-Waffenbesitzkarte.

If you are planning to become Sportschütze in the future (or to collect weapons, etc.), you should invest a bit more and buy a "Klasse 1" safe. According to the law you can store more than ten pistols in that type, just putting it in the corner somewhere. With that type you are simply most flexible.

Anyway you should mind Thomas' hint regarding the weight of safedoors... .