Austria reports 1,574,520 registered firearms across three categories as of September 1, 2026, marking an increase of 38,000 over the previous year. The number of weapon owners rose to 383,532, continuing a steady upward trend that has persisted since 2015.
The surge follows a strict weapons law amendment triggered by a June 2025 shooting in Graz. New rules raised the minimum age for Category B weapons to 25 and Category C to 21. A four-week cooling-off period is now required between purchase and weapon pickup.
Authorities now enforce automatic bans for specific crimes and mandate that army recruitment commissions share psychological data. While Lower Austria leads with 454,514 firearms, officials estimate up to 40,000 illegal weapons remain in circulation today.