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Austria

Weapons and ammunition

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Federal firearms law, calibres set by the Land

The Weapons Act 1996 applies nationwide; which weapons are allowed for hunting is Land law.

Firearms law, by contrast, is federal: the Weapons Act 1996 applies throughout Austria and governs the acquisition, possession and carrying of firearms, irrespective of hunting use. Which weapons and ammunition are actually permitted for hunting — minimum calibres by species, magazine capacity, permitted or prohibited devices — depends instead on the hunting act and ordinance of the Land. The two levels stack: lawfully possessing a weapon under the Weapons Act is not enough if the calibre is not permitted for the species in the Land where one hunts. A hunter arriving from abroad must also check the conditions for temporarily bringing the weapon into Austria, which likewise fall under federal firearms law.