Anyone who has seen the Coen brothers' film "No country for old men" knows the danger that nail guns pose to people.

No wonder they can kill cattle after all.

Those responsible for the security of the German Bundestag clearly see the risk.

Eckhart Lohse

Head of the parliamentary editorial office in Berlin.

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Appendix 2 of the House Rules lists exactly which weapons and dangerous tools may not be brought into Parliament.

Not only pistols and rifles are mentioned, but also, for example, harpoons, crossbows and "devices for stunning and killing cattle".

So bolt guns.

While these may not have played a role in the recent debate about the security of the Bundestag, the crossbows certainly did.

Because such were among the weapons that the security authorities found when arresting that group of "Reich citizens" who fantasized about a storming of the Reichstag and an overthrow.

The question of whether it is possible to smuggle a crossbow or other weapons into the Bundestag is therefore not theoretical.

Since then, these dangers have been discussed intensively.

The security officers of the parliamentary groups do that, the parliamentary group leaders, the council of elders and the presidency of the parliament.

Thorsten Frei, CDU member of parliament and parliamentary manager of the Union parliamentary group, describes the challenge as follows: “Repeatedly unwanted people have come to the Bundestag with the help of members of parliament.

The arrest of a former AfD member of parliament in connection with plans to overthrow it has once again made it very clear that the threat from within has also increased.”

The chief warner appeased

Despite all the worries and considerations about what needs to be changed, some try to calm down.

Wolfgang Kubicki, FDP MP and Deputy President of the Bundestag, says that after the action against the "Reich citizens" the security of the Bundestag will be discussed.

“But we do that all the time anyway.

No major, fundamental changes are planned so far.” Kubicki takes care of safety a lot, but is also the most popular of the all-clearers.

In fact, work has been done repeatedly in recent years to increase security in the Bundestag.

Parliament's own police force has been in uniform since 2017.

The presence of around 200 police officers is visibly increased during session weeks.

There is even a "Team for Special Tasks", a kind of small GSG 9, as it is called in the Bundestag, alluding to the anti-terrorist unit of the Federal Police.

The executive powers of the Bundestag police are limited to parliament.

Parliament Speaker Bärbel Bas, a Social Democrat, is trying to send out a message that strikes a balance between calming down and the need for action.

After the raid on the "Reichsbürger" scene, she said nobody had to worry.

"The security of the house was guaranteed at all times." It was "almost impossible" to get into the properties of the Bundestag with weapons.

Is that correct?

A development like that in America is unthinkable in Germany.

Shortly after the storming of the Capitol in January last year, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was given permission to walk around in Parliament at least with a weapon that was not visibly carried.

However, President Bas also says "that we will tighten the house rules and the rules of access and conduct again".