The German government is exploring introducing strict new measures on deadly weapons, such as biometric identification methods and better safety locks on guns.
Sparked by the deadly shooting in the southern German town of Winnenden in March, the country's interior minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, says Berlin is working on ways of imposing tougher restrictions on gun access.
Schaueble told the daily Rheinische Post newspaper that fingerprint scanners installed on gun case locks is one possibility, while better safety locks on the firearms themselves would be also be considered.
“There are interesting technical possibilities,” he said.
His comments follow the case in March, when a 17-year-old youth shot dead 15 people and himself, using his father's pistol. He had apparently obtained the security code to his father's gun chest.
Experts doubt effectivness
But some weapon experts doubt the effectiveness of the biometric system for weapons. David Schiller, editor of the arms magazine, Visier, says items like the “Smart Gun” -- which can only be operated by the owner -- sound good but are not the solution.
He says fingerprint-scanning devices could be duped, while strong magnetic forces could destroy the electronic capabilities of locks.
Schiller favors improved education and less violence in the media.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Schaeuble and his state colleagues will consider changes at their conference in June
Lapses in gun law enforcement
Germany experienced another deadly shooting this week, when a 60-year-old man shot dead his sister-in-law and wounded two people before turning the gun on himself, outside a court near Munich.
The two incidents have attracted a lot of attention from both the media and Berlin. Germany's gun laws were significantly tightened following the Erfurt school massacre in 2002, when a gunman killed 16 people and himself.
Interior Minister Schaeuble said while Germany has one of the world's toughest arms-control laws, the latest cases show there have been lapses in its implementation and enforcement.
He has begun talks with officials from Germany's 16 states as well as gun clubs and hunting groups about better firearm security. Recommendations from the talks are expected to handed down at a conference of state interior ministers in early June, where changes to gun laws are on the agenda.
Parents of Winnenden victims seek tougher gun laws
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The handgun used by Tim K. to kill 15 people and himself was registered to his fatherFamilies of victims of the Winnenden massacre have come together to push for stricter gun laws in Germany.
Plans by German politicians to strengthen gun laws in the wake of the massacre in Winnenden that left 16 dead don't go far enough, according to a new action group founded by families of the victims. The government's proposed legislative changes are mostly “cosmetic,” said Hardy Schober, chair of the Winnenden Massacre Group.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The parents group thinks violent video games should be illegal for players of all ages
In response, the group has started a signature campaign with their own ideas for a legislative response to the attacks. They'd like a ban on large caliber weapons and say there's no reason to store handguns in private households. Those, they say, should be kept at registered gun clubs.
The group also wants video and computer games that encourage violence to be banned. Other ideas include a violence quota for television, online drop-in centers for teens, and a requirement that schools have at least one psychologist or social worker on campus. The group says a network should be developed to connect schools, police and psychologists in efforts to prevent violent attacks.
Government's plan
The parents' campaign comes a day after the partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's grand coalition government, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, announced that they had reached a compromise for beefing up legislation on guns and violent games. The politicians hope to push the new laws through before September's federal election.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Few had heard of the town of Winnenden before a March shooting left 16 dead
The government's plan includes new unannounced inspections for gun owners, even if there is no suspicion of misconduct. They also are seeking to ban lasertag and paintball games. This last measure is “a little over the top,” according to Winnenden Massacre Group spokesperson Gisela Mayer. She also said they were unimpressed with the politicians' efforts in general.
“What would be preferable,” she said, “would be a little courage” in dealing with the issue.
Mayer is the mother of a young teacher killed by 17-year-old Tim K. when he went on a rampage at his former school. Nine students and three teachers were killed before he fled. On the run from the police, he killed three others before ultimately killing himself.
“We wouldn't wish upon anyone else in this country what we had to experience,” said Mayer.
The German government says it plans to ban combat games such as paintball, in response to a recent school shooting.
The new measures being proposed to parliament also include tighter gun control rules and give officials the right to conduct checks on gun owners.
Sixteen people, including the gunman, were killed in the shooting at a school in southern Germany in March.
Relatives of the victims say the new measures do not go far enough.
'Biometric controls'
Under the proposed rules, the authorities would be given more right to ensure weapons are safely locked up.
The massacre at Albertville School shocked Germany
It is also thought that "biometric controls" for gun storage might be introduced, the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Berlin reports.
That would mean that anyone owning and storing guns at home would need to use their own fingerprint to open the safe or cupboard, our correspondent says.
Berlin also plans to ban games like paintball and laser-tag that simulate killing on the grounds that they trivialise and encourage violence.
Anyone defying the proposed new rule could face a 5,000-euro (£4,474) fine.
But relatives of those killed in the March attack in the town of Winnenden, near Stuttgart, are calling for an outright ban on pistols and high-calibre weapons.
"There cannot be a second Winnenden," Hardy Schober, whose daughter was killed in the attack, told a news conference in Berlin.
