Disarmament of the German Jews

The disarmament of the German Jews started in 1933, initially limited to local areas such as Berlin, where large-scale raids in search for weaponry took place. Starting in 1936, the Gestapo prohibited German police officers from giving firearms licenses to Jews. In November 1938, the Verordnung gegen den Waffenbesitz der Juden prohibited the possession of firearms and bladed weapons by Jews.

Weimar Republic

The legal foundations that the Nazi Party later used to disarm the Jews were already laid during the Weimar Republic. Starting with the Reichsgesetz über Schusswaffen und Munition (Reich law on firearms and ammunition), enacted on 12 April 1928, weapon purchase permits were introduced, only allowing "authorized persons" to purchase and possess firearms. Mandatory registration of weapons was also introduced, enabling the government to access relevant data, such as the type of weapon and the identity of the owner at any given time. Manufacture and sale of weapons were only possible following authorisation in order to ensure that firearms were only issued to "reliable individuals". Starting in 1930, bladed weapons were also regulated and carrying weapons in public required a weapons permit.

Takeover by the Nazi Party

Immediately following the "Machtergreifung" in 1933, the weapon laws of the Weimar Republic were used to disarm Jews, or to use the excuse of "searching for weapons" as a justification for raids and searches of homes. Because the weapons law of 1928 gave the police the authority to issue or withdraw weapon permits, Jewish weapon owners were disarmed through warrants issued by the police.