By: Friedrich Seiltgen
On a recent trip to Europe, I was able to make a trip down to Austria and go to the range with my nephew, Marco. His gun range is located a few miles outside of Salzburg in the village of Perwang. Marco visited us in America a couple of years ago and was impressed by our 2A freedoms and the firearms laws in Florida. Needless to say, we did a lot of shooting that trip!
Marco moved from Germany to Salzburg, as the firearms laws are not as insane as they are in Germany. In order to own firearms in Austria, one must possess a basic Waffenschein, which is basically a firearms owner identification card. This requires basic training in firearms safety, a background check, and a written psychological exam.
When purchasing a firearm, you need a WaffenBesitzkarte, which allows you to actually possess the weapon. Firearms must be kept secured at your home, and your gun safe will be inspected by the local police. And, of course, your weapon will be registered!
While Austria has better firearms laws compared to Germany overall, it does have some strange rules. Pump-action shotguns are illegal, but semi-auto shotguns are OK. So, your Remington 870 is verboten, but the 1100 is good to go!
Marco reserved our spot online via the range website. An hour of range time costs €26 euros. Our first stop was at the local firearms dealer for ammunition. Marco had to present his identification cards, and his purchase was recorded in the store’s ammunition sales log. A box of .45 was going for €25 euros. Then, it was on to the range.
When Marco visited us, we went shooting several times, and his favorite pistol was the 1911 .45. After returning home, he purchased his own Kimber .45.
The range was located out in the country in an old apple cider factory. The farmer decided to add a different income flow by building a shooting range. The range was small, but clean and modern with three lanes.
My first time shooting in Europe was an experience to remember. We Americans have it relatively positive, but it reminded me that we must continue the fight against progressive tyranny and persevere in winning back our gun rights in anti-constitutional states like New Jersey and New York.
It’s now or never folks!
Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He currently conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism, Firearms, First Aid, and Law Enforcement Vehicle Operations in Florida. His writing has appeared in The Counter Terrorist Magazine, Homeland Security Today and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International. Contact him at [email protected].