Blank-firing guns, air guns, crossbows and knives: what you may buy without a licence and what applies to carrying and shooting.

Not every weapon requires a firearms ownership licence (WBK). Adults may buy and own blank-firing pistols, air rifles, crossbows and many knives without official permission. However, that does not mean that everything is allowed: clear rules apply to carrying them in public and to shooting. Here is the overview.

Buying and owning from 18

From the age of 18, you may acquire and own the following, among others, without a licence:

• Blank-firing guns, irritant gas weapons and signal weapons (SRS) bearing the PTB approval mark and the matching ammunition,
• Compressed air, spring-powered and CO2 weapons bearing the F mark, i.e. up to 7.5 joules (diabolo pellets for them are free of any age limit),
• Crossbows,
• Knives – with the exception of prohibited knives such as switchblade knives, which have generally been prohibited since October 2024.

In our shop, you can recognise such items by the note “18+”. We ship them with DHL visual age check: the courier checks your identity document on delivery. Within Germany, you do not need to send us a copy of your identity document.

Carrying: this is where it gets strict

“Licence-free to buy” does not mean “allowed to take anywhere”. The most important rules:

• SRS weapons: Anyone carrying them outside their own home, business premises or their own enclosed property needs the small firearms licence (Kleiner Waffenschein). Carrying them at public events is prohibited even with this licence. No licence is required for mere transport – not ready to fire and not ready to hand, for example in a locked container.
• Air and CO2 weapons: Carrying them requires a licence; the small firearms licence is not sufficient for this.
• One-handed knives and fixed-blade knives with a blade longer than 12 cm are subject to the carrying ban under § 42a WaffG – except where there is a legitimate interest (e.g. profession, sport, hunting) or in a locked container.
• Since 31.10.2024, knives of any kind may generally not be carried at public festivals, markets, sporting events and similar public events or on long-distance transport. Many cities have additional weapon and knife ban zones.

Shooting: only where it is permitted

Shooting outside approved shooting ranges generally requires a permit – even with a small firearms licence. Exceptions exist, among others, for self-defence and for shooting on your own enclosed property with the consent of the person entitled to the property, provided the projectiles cannot leave the property (for example with air weapons up to 7.5 joules or with blank cartridges only). Pyrotechnic ammunition may be fired from your own property on New Year's Eve if it does not leave the property.

Store safely

Licence-free weapons and ammunition must also be stored in such a way that children, young people under 18 and unauthorised persons cannot access them. A locked container is sufficient for this.

More details

You will find all the rules with the exact sections of the law on our Weapons law information page. You will find suitable items in the Licence-free weapons category. If you have any questions, we will be happy to help.

Note: This article provides an overview and does not replace legal advice. The current version of the German Weapons Act (WaffG) is decisive.