MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Berliners filed 3,286 applications for small arms in January-October 2016, while in 2015 only 816 applications were filed in the German capital, media reported Wednesday.
In the region of Brandenburg, where Berlin is located, the number of applications grew from 545 in 2015 to 3,420 in 2016, Berliner Morgenpost newspaper reported, citing police forces of both Berlin and Brandenburg, which are under separate jurisdictions.
10 January 2017, 16:56 GMT
According to the newspaper, the spike in applications occurred in January and February 2016, with 1265 and 1351 request deposited, respectively, and a smaller-scale surge happened in March and August, with 635 and 695 applications filed. The newspaper reported, citing the Interior Ministry, that the number of applications across Germany rose by 60 percent, compared to 180,000 in 2015.
According to Berlin's police, small arms include alarm pistols, flare guns and non-lethal irritants.
