Gun dealer says:

“A weapons ban shines through immediately”

Weapons dealer Wolfgang Russegger is certain that the suspected Munich assassin would not have bought a weapon from him.

(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

The suspected assassin Emrah I from Neumarkt obtained his historic World War II rifle from a collector, including 50 rounds of ammunition. An arms dealer explains why this is virtually impossible in the regular arms trade. 

He was banned from selling weapons until 2028. Emrah I nevertheless managed to get hold of a rifle. The 18-year-old from Flachgau fired several shots from the same long gun in front of the Israeli consulate in Munich on Thursday. In the end, the boy was killed by German police officers.

It can be ruled out that a careful specialist dealer would give away a weapon so easily

Waffenhändler Bernhard Russegger

"I can rule out the possibility that the boy would have been given a gun in my store," says gun dealer Bernhard Russegger. There are umpteen reasons against it. First and foremost, the weapons ban, which would immediately appear in the central weapons register. Then there is the cooling-off period of three days between the purchase and handover of the weapon. "It is out of the question that a careful specialist dealer would give away a weapon so easily," says the expert, who runs a store and shooting range in Puch-Urstein.

As it became known on Friday, the radicalized boy had actually made a private purchase. Emrah I had purchased the historic long gun from a collector in Flachgau just one day before the assassination attempt. The deal was arranged via an online platform. He handed over 400 euros to the seller for the weapon, bayonet and ammunition. However, he paid for his decision with his life.