Germany’s largest police union — the GdP — has proposed implementing a nationwide ban on carrying weapons in public transport and associated facilities, including all railway stations.
This was stated by Andreas Roßkopf, head of the federal police division within the union, in a comment to the dpa news agency. According to him, the current situation — with differing regulations in Germany’s 16 federal states — leads to confusion among citizens.
Recently, authorities in Berlin approved a ban on carrying firearms and knives across the city’s urban and suburban transport systems. Similar measures are already in place in several other states, while some regions are still considering such steps.
At the same time, Bavaria has opposed a nationwide ban, suggesting that such decisions should be left to regional and local governments. The GdP is calling on interior ministers from all federal states to coordinate and adopt a unified policy on the issue, especially given their regular meetings with federal counterparts.
The initiative comes amid a rise in knife-related attacks in Germany. Last summer, the federal government announced plans to tighten laws regulating the possession of bladed weapons.
One of the most high-profile incidents occurred in May last year in Mannheim, when Islamist Suleiman A. stabbed five participants of an anti-Islam rally organized by the “Pax Europa” movement, as well as police officer Ruven L., who later died from his injuries.
