You can buy pepper sprays legally in Germany: in gun shops, online shops or even in some pharmacies. If it is a so-called pet repellent spray, there is not even an age restriction for purchase. Carrying weapons is legal for everyone. Find out now if pepper spray is legal in Switzerland and what needs to be taken into account. If these three conditions are not met, pepper spray falls under the Weapons Act and cannot be used. The indication of the insect repellent must be clearly legible and must not be painted or scraped. The use of pepper spray guns is equally illegal, although they are intended to repel animals. In general, pepper spray can only be used in self-defense or emergency assistance. In Switzerland, pepper sprays are not covered by the Weapons Act, but are subject to the Chemicals Act, which stipulates a minimum age of 18 for sale and driving. The relevant law also stipulates that the seller must inform the buyer of the appropriate protective measures upon delivery. However, this improvement can also be made in connection with purchases via online shops, where age identification also takes place here. Pepper sprays marked “Tierabwehrspray” can be legally purchased in Germany in gun shops, online shops or pharmacies and then transported by anyone without age restriction. They are not covered by the Weapons Act because they are not intended to be used against humans.
However, pepper spray is banned at certain events and also in many European countries, such as the Netherlands, Great Britain and Belgium. In Germany, pepper sprays are usually readily available. Since pepper spray labeled as pet repellent spray is not a weapon, it can be purchased legally in outdoor or survival stores. Meanwhile, trustworthy pharmacies or online shops are also suitable points of contact. Is pepper spray legal or not? This question is regularly asked by insecure people who take care of buying pepper spray to protect themselves, and also appears frequently in various Internet forums. Whether and under what circumstances pepper spray is allowed depends of course on the legislation of the country in which you live. Warning: there are often very big differences here! The following will therefore mainly address the question of whether, and under what conditions, pepper spray is legal in Germany and how it behaves in Austria, Switzerland and some other countries. If you are attacked by a human being, you have the right to defend yourself. You can access items that are within your immediate reach, such as keys, purses, sticks, and others. If no suitable means are available to you in self-defense or emergency aid, you can use an animal repellent spray in exceptional cases.
However, outside of emergency situations, for example when conflict prevention would be possible, the use of pepper spray is absolutely illegal. In order for you to definitely buy a defense spray that does not fall under the gun law and therefore you can buy and use it from the age of 18, you should get your pepper spray from a reputable seller. Now I can say first-hand: pepper spray is by no means harmless. But a kind of weapon that can hurt others considerably. You should keep this in mind if you are one of the countless people who have bought pepper spray just in case. Or if you`re still thinking about it. Since New Year`s Eve 2015 at the latest, pepper sprays are selling out quickly. And the upcoming carnival certainly won`t cause demand to collapse.
But when is pepper spray legal? And how can it be used? That is what I want to explain to you today. Pepper sprays that are sold commercially in Germany, or shipped to Germany, are essentially labeled as animal repellent sprays and, since they do not fall under the gun law, can be sold, acquired by anyone, possessed and of course also directed. It should be noted that the corresponding marking must be recognizable in all cases – if this is no longer the case, for example by scratching, painting or removing the marking, the initially legal pepper spray automatically falls under the Weapons Act and is therefore no longer allowed in Germany! There are many ways to defend yourself. Those who are unwilling or not allowed to carry a weapon are looking for alternatives. Often mentioned is “pepper spray,” which isn`t as easy to buy and use as many people imagine, even though it`s still one of the most common means of self-defense. Before you take care of buying pepper spray, you should take a look at the legal situation. In the trade, you will not get one declared as such. However, it can be sold and purchased under the name “dog defense spray” or pet repellent spray. In this case, the purchase is legal. They discuss the purchase of pepper spray and question whether possession is legal in Germany.
You can find out what you need to know in this article. In principle, pepper spray is legal in Germany – but the prerequisite is that it is clearly labelled as an animal repellent spray. Due to this labeling, the corresponding defense spray falls into the category of animal repellent sprays – these pepper sprays are not subject to the Weapons Act in Germany. However, if this marking is not available, pepper spray falls under the German Weapons Act and is therefore not permitted and cannot be sold, acquired or driven. The use of an animal repellent spray, which does not exceed a maximum range of two meters, is allowed in emergency situations, provided that no other means of defense are available. Otherwise, it constitutes bodily injury and, in the worst case, can be punished by imprisonment. Similarly, compensation for pain and suffering of up to €500 may be set.