More and more weapons in Saxony - small firearms license in demand

In Saxony, there are more and more registered weapons. At the end of 2025, around 157,300 weapons were in the possession of citizens, according to the National Weapons Register. This is almost 11,000 more than five years earlier (2020: around 146,500). Last year alone, 1,700 weapons were added. The number of gun owners rose by around 300 to around 32,800, the "Freie Presse" reported.

Erzgebirgskreis with most weapons permits

The number of weapons permits, which include firearms licenses or shooting permits, also increased. Last year, around 94,250 permits were registered in Saxony, compared to just under 1,500 fewer in the previous year. One person can hold several permits.

In the meantime, there are almost 10,000 permits in the Erzgebirgskreis district - this is by far the highest number in Saxony compared to the independent cities and districts, as can be seen in an answer from the Ministry of the Interior to a question from Left Party MP Juliane Nagel. The fewest gun licenses are in Chemnitz (around 4,200).

Popular small firearms license

The small firearms license, which entitles the holder to carry alarm, irritant and signal weapons in public, remains particularly popular. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the number of these increased by almost 460 to around 25,200 at the end of 2025. Leipzig is ahead here with a good 3,600.

"I have been concerned about this development for some time, as it can hardly be explained by a growing interest in shooting sports, for example," Nagel told the Freie Presse newspaper. "Instead, widespread feelings of insecurity are reflected in individual armament." However, these do not necessarily correspond to the actual crime situation.

Almost 150 authorizations withdrawn

The authorities withdrew gun licenses in almost 150 cases last year. The district of Zwickau was particularly affected (40). In most cases, the reason was a lack of reliability. In eight cases, the persons concerned were right-wing extremists, in six cases "Reichsbürger" or self-administrators.

In total, the authorities in Saxony checked the reliability of permit holders around 23,000 times. Around 1,200 gun owners were found to have committed almost 200 offences during mostly unannounced checks on the storage of firearms.