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No ode to Nancy Faeser: Arms dealer Volker Leitermann with the unique »Nancy Phaser«
Photo: Volker Leitermann / dpa
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) wants to significantly tighten the German weapons law - and has now become a weapon herself.
The Albstadt arms dealer Volker Leitermann dedicated an unflattering toy pistol to the minister in protest against the planned tightening of gun laws.
The »Nancy Phaser« model comes from the TV cult series »Star Trek«, at least in the film it can fire phaser beams.
Leitermann's object cannot do this, but it shimmers silver.
On Wednesday evening he auctioned it off to the highest bidder for 1,010 euros.
He will now donate the proceeds to the Association of German Gunsmiths and Gun Dealers (VDB) in order to stand up for the rights of gun owners, dealers and gunsmiths, said Leitermann of the dpa news agency.
"I wanted to draw attention to the fact that meaningless symbolic politics and populism are being pursued at the expense of hunters, sports shooters, manufacturers and retailers."
For the industry, the political plans to tighten the gun law are not only annoying, but threatening the very existence of the industry, said Leitermann.
After the New Year's Eve riots and the exposed coup plans of a »Reichsbürger« group, Faeser announced that gun laws in Germany would be tightened.
Among other things, a ban on semi-automatic weapons for private individuals is planned, and gun buyers should also have to present a medical certificate in the future.
“Criminals keep doing what they want”
"Such tightening does not bring any added value in terms of security for society," said Leitermann.
"Since 2014 there has been no statistical survey by the Federal Criminal Police Office that distinguishes the crimes committed by criminals with illegal weapons from the alleged crimes by legal gun owners." Thus, legal gun owners are lumped together with criminals - although at the time of the survey they were for less than one percent of all crimes could be held responsible.
"An intensification would only punish those who handle weapons responsibly and sometimes even earn their living with them," concluded Leitermann.
"Criminals, on the other hand, continue to do what they want - even the Nancy Phaser doesn't help there."
mrc/dpa
