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Hanover (dpa / lni) - The number of people with a small gun license has increased in Lower Saxony.

As the Ministry of the Interior announced at the request of the German Press Agency, at the beginning of December 2020 almost 70,900 women and men were authorized to use alarm weapons.

That was almost seven percent more than in 2019. "I am concerned that more and more people are in possession of so-called SRS weapons," said Lower Saxony Interior Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD).

The abbreviation SRS stands for alarm, irritant and signal weapons.

"The dangers posed by these weapons are enormous," said the minister.

He pointed out that improper use could be life-threatening.

No special permit is required for the purchase and possession of alarm weapons, irritant weapons and signal weapons, the buyer only has to be of legal age.

If you want to carry the gun with you in public, you need a small gun license.

It only applies to blank firing, irritant and signal weapons.

The pistols, which look like real weapons, are sold for deterrence and self-defense.

For some young men, they are a status symbol.

According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the number of people with a small gun license has increased significantly since 2014.

At that time there were 24,178 such authorizations in Lower Saxony.

From 2015 to 2016, the number rose by around 70 percent and then continued to climb.

At the beginning of December 2020 it was 70 899.

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The Police Union (GdP) Lower Saxony is critical of the development.

"The greatest danger here is that alarm weapons are mostly identical in appearance to real firearms, a difference is apparently not discernible," said the state chairman Dietmar Schilff.

"That makes the police's work extremely difficult."

Police officers must always assume that it is a real firearm.

In addition, gas, alarm or signal weapons could cause serious injuries if they were pointed at a person at close range.

According to the findings of the police union, insecurity and demeanor are the reasons why many people apply for the small gun license.

"Our colleagues have to deal with fake weapons again and again, especially with airsoft weapons," reported Schilff.

“It's mostly young people who want to use it and make an impression.

The dangerous thing about it is that experience has shown that disputes can escalate precisely when a weapon is carried. "