"Krone" test purchase

The weapons paradise on the Austrian border

Wide range of different weapons.

(Bild: zVg)

A trip to our Czech neighbors holds a surprise. Blades flash between fake bags and shirts at the Asia Bazaar. Austrian gun laws are already considered liberal, but there are even fewer rules in the Czech Republic than here.

The most recent case in Munich, where an 18-year-old Islamist from Salzburg, radicalized in his childhood bedroom, bought a world war carbine from a collector in order to commit murder in Germany, shows how easy it is for teenagers to obtain weapons, despite an official ban on weapons. Just an hour's drive from Vienna, just over the border with the Czech Republic, lies a paradise for gun enthusiasts.

Hidden test purchases
The "Krone" set out to make hidden test purchases in Family City (formerly Excalibur City), where the Iron Curtain once separated East and West: Gangs stock up on stabbing weapons and firearms here, it is rumored - knives that are often seized in Vienna. Although minors can easily buy butterfly knives in the federal capital, many a villain takes the opportunity to stock up on even sharper weapons from neighbors.

Wide range of different weapons

(Bild: zVg)

Whether jumpers, telescopic batons, stun guns or ballpoint pens with integrated knives, this is where the action is.

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

It's only a few steps from the leisure park to the weapons paradise.

(Bild: zVg)

Stallholders vie for customers
Past the amusement park, we reach the Asia Bazaar, which is just coming to life in the morning. Stallholders vie for customers. Swords, machetes, switchblades, brass knives, knuckle dusters and airguns are stacked between car rims, perfume, cell phone accessories, fake bags and bodysuits. The market is firmly in Vietnamese hands. We are interested in the sharp blades.

The seller shows us switchblades, handles folding telescopic batons and even offers us a stun gun. Haggling is a must, and finally the dedicated Asian with the friendly smile pulls out pens with integrated knives like in a James Bond movie. He puts everything in a plastic bag and a 14-year-old schoolgirl, who takes the test with us, pays for it. Many things, such as a telescopic baton, throwing stars, a ballpoint pen and the like, are banned here.

What look like toy weapons are real.

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Weapons look like toys
A German-speaking family is browsing here after us. Their little boy's eyes light up at the sight of the weapons, which look like toys. The man asks if the knives are suitable for women and the stallholder nods in a friendly manner.

Facts & figures

• According to crime statistics, there were 2479 crimes involving stabbing weapons across Austria last year. In 2014, the figure was 1996, while the number of reports involving slashing weapons remained almost the same at 615 in a ten-year comparison.
• Vienna accounted for half of all stabbing offenses in 2014: in the previous year, there were exactly 994 cases.
• The figures do not mean that someone was injured; dangerous threats involving a knife are also recorded, although weapons can be legal. Such as bread knives, scissors or screwdrivers.
• In contrast, the number of firearms has almost halved to 350 in the last 10 years.

Here at the border in the Czech Republic, these products are not considered weapons as defined by the local Weapons Act. On our return journey at the Kleinhaugsdorf border crossing, random checks are carried out. Our small arsenal of weapons remains undiscovered.

Manslaughterers, knuckledusters, switchblades
Although both the Czech Republic and Austria are part of the European Union, their weapons laws couldn't be more different. In addition to firearms, switchblades, drop knives, butterfly knives, rapiers, daggers, throwing discs, pepper spray and tasers are also considered weapons in this country. These may be legally purchased, but only from the age of 18.

The situation is different in the Czech Republic. There, the above-mentioned items are not subject to the Weapons Act, which means that they can be purchased by anyone at any time. Even telescopic batons, better known as deadly clubs, and brass knuckles, which are banned here, are freely available in the neighboring country. For comparison: In Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain, butterfly knives and switchblades are banned with a few exceptions.

Threat of prosecution
Just because you can buy these weapons legally in the Czech Republic does not mean that you can take them across the border. If the prohibited weapons are discovered during an inspection, they will not only be confiscated, but you will also be charged with a violation of the Weapons Act.

And: buying illegal weapons from abroad via the Internet is also a punishable offense. But this is even more difficult to control.

This is what Family City says
Roger Seunig, Managing Director of Family City, says: "In recent years, we have made extensive investments to expand our offer for families. Our attractions such as Merlin's Kinderwelt, Merlin's Farm and the Terra Technica Museum are specially designed for families with children and are very popular. Our site extends over 530,000 square meters. Individual areas are allocated to external tenants, including the adjacent Asia Market, which is leased to a general tenant. In addition to a good selection of Asian products, including clothing, accessories and electronic items, there is also a small area with legally compliant defense items. We are not in favor of these goods, which are legal for the CZ market - there have already been talks with the general tenant in this regard, which have so far been unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the products here on the Czech border are not considered weapons within the meaning of the local Weapons Act."