Getting a gun illegally. Lars Winkelsdorf claims that this is possible in
Germany in a short time. There were racks of firearms on display. is this a deal This is a normal antique shop
in Munich. Do you also have Wehrmacht pistols? Rarely lately. We are always dependent on what is
offered to us. Is it possible to get an illegal weapon in three days
? It's completely impossible for me
to just buy a gun like this in a shop like this because I don't have a gun license – I
'm not that interested in it either. But I would like to see if it is possible for me
to buy a gun illegally, so I am now on
my way to see where I can do that. I meet Lars Winkelsdorf in Leipzig. He's a weapons expert and wants to
show me how to get hold of an illegal weapon. Of course I don't want to buy a gun. I want to find out if it's possible. You said you can buy a gun in
Germany in a few hours. Correct, it is the case that due to the large number of
illegal weapons in Germany and the trading structures via
second-hand dealers and second-hand shops, it actually takes very little time to buy an
illegal weapon.
But what is the mass? What are you assuming? In Germany alone, due to the
free availability up to 1972/76, we have around 20 million illegal weapons. Weapons on the illegal market are primarily
those that used to be freely available, leftovers from the two world wars or old stock
from deceased hunters. If someone catches me, what happens
then? imprisonment of up to five years. So, if we would hand over the coal today!?
Then we have a problem. We drive to a nearby normal
flea market. Lars, the weapons expert, used to give shooting training
, but now he does expert opinions and researches the weapons scene. Today we are undercover. We don't want to be recognized today, that's why
we film with it! Lars' thesis:
Weapons are always lost during household liquidations, which are then offered to junk dealers . I think to myself: that's a joke, a bad
cliché. Lars is serious. Day one: The clock is ticking.
From now on it's time to turn undercover in the
market hall. We repeat all voices, including his. Covert sound recordings are prohibited, images are
allowed under certain circumstances. Lars: Hello. i collect guns Do you have anything from the turn of the century? airguns? Everything up to 1945 interests me. Salesperson:
No, I haven't, something like that. It used to be different. But today I don't feel like it anymore. The laws have become so vague. No sow can see through it anymore. He tells us: Before the
law was tightened, he sold decorative weapons. Deco weapons are formerly edged weapons that have been
rendered useless. In some cases, however, skilled hobbyists
have gotten them ready to fire again. One stand further: Nazi medals, military helmets
and daggers are sold here.
Something could be done here. When asked, the man also did not have any weapons. We move on. Because of the heat, our hidden camera is giving out
the ghost. And now it's getting exciting. We ask again about collectible weapons. "Nah, I don't have any guns. I'm too scared of the police." "It's a shame, I'm looking for something like a P08." "I used to have one like that. Someone found it and sold it to my father
. But I passed it on to France a while ago
for a ridiculous price." Instead, he shows us a muzzleloader. A bullet gun. Something like that shouldn't be sold in markets
. He wants 100 euros for the thing.
We don't buy. After that, Lars experiences something very worrying,
which we discuss in the car. A dealer offered to show me the
appropriate weapons, he didn't have them here. They would be in his shop and
we then arranged to meet. It is more likely that this is where
the initiations take place and the buyer then has to come to him. On his slip of paper he immediately offers:
hunting gear, knives, binoculars, eceterea – the eceterea are, of course, illegal weapons. We'll try to find out later
if that's true. I still have a question about the muzzleloader offered to us
. This is what it looks like, by the way. This is not allowed to be sold at flea markets
. In stores to adults it is. But that we own it, that would be fine,
so you could kill someone too – anyway. Exactly, that would be possible. But the fact of the matter is that this is a
clear indication that weapons are being traded illegally here. But they are very scared and very
careful. So one actually fears the persecution pressure
from the authorities. Speaking of authorities, while I'm sitting in the car,
a thought comes to mind: We run through the flea market in Leipzig for three hours and ask
for weapons and nobody threatens to call the police .
And several dealers told us
that they were always being offered sharp weapons . Lars Winkelsdorf has often started the experiment of buying illegal weapons. Let's take a look together at what he was
offered in 2013. But even after that he always found what he was looking
for. We have a trading shop here in Munich
where we have found that such weapons are being traded on a large scale. There were indeed racks of firearms
on display – stacked on top of one another. Was that a deal? This is a normal antique shop
in Munich. What we see here is a PPSA submachine gun
from the stocks of the Red Army, WWII, that was offered there. And the next gun that he offered
there was a Kalashnikov. You could have paid for it, in the trunk
and that's it. According to his claim decoration. But there wasn't much decoration.
It was usable. Here you can see a Kalashnikov assault rifle. And did he tell you where he got it from? no That's not what it was about. That didn't work. One could assume, if you
show me how it's done, that this is also a guide for criminals on how to get hold of a
gun. What is the motivation behind the fact that you talk about it like that
and that you show it like that? First and foremost, I would like politicians to
react to the fact that this parallel arms trade, which has existed for years, decades, is
finally addressed as a problem by politicians . And that opportunities are created here for
these weapons to be legally withdrawn from circulation. He even assures me of his story with the Kalashnikov on
oath.
We'll meet again later. Second day, new attempt: I'm looking for
a weapon on the net without Lars – on the Darknet. This is Max, programmer. All right: buy a weapon on the dark web. Sounds easy – or you often act as
if it were easy. There have also been a few prominent cases
where this was done, for example the gunman who was out and about in Munich. He bought his gun there and
then shot nine people with it and then
himself. I want to check with Max whether it's still possible today or whether
the authorities have done their job. The Dali mask is worn by Max, who actually has a
different name because he doesn't want his customers to see him in a film
about guns and the dark web.
He's actually a fan of the Darknet: freedom of speech,
protection for whistleblowers – less surveillance. At the same time he is against guns. We won't buy it because then we'll
definitely be liable to prosecution. But we can take a look. We need a browser that reaches the Tor
network and that is the Tor browser. It's the case that there are mostly link sites
and we'll try to find them now and then see if we can find a
shop. But you can find something similar to
Ebay, i.e. a marketplace where things are offered , or you can find something like Zalando,
Otto, where you simply send money to a shop and then get the goods sent? There is that too.
So, we've reached our goal. The addresses of websites on the dark web are
cryptic. Long links of confused letters and numbers. That's why we need the link lists for shops. And the first shop leads us to a weapon. I see a gun! Yes! Walther PPK, caliber 7.65. New, unused and unregistered. I could now buy the gun here for 600 euros
and then pay 40 euros for 50 rounds . If you buy the same gun legally, it
costs 250 euros used. A total of three weapons are offered in our Darknet shop
. The imprint states that the guns will be
sent by post from the Netherlands and Germany . If I order something on the Darknet, then it has
to come to me somehow? Bring me one or how does it work? In most cases, the postal route is the decisive factor. Do you think that's [ __ ]? Yes, that is the big question now. If you order there, it can be a scam
, the shop can belong to the police. One does not know?! So the police are also authorized to
set up such shops…
Not in Germany. But in other EU countries. Yes. Well, that's not our first choice then. Then let's try this shop here again. Ok, you also have to register. Let's try Gungirl. M: Yes, there's something else. Machine guns, assault rifles, weapons of war. According to the information page, the shop is located in the USA. Is that sick Yes, that's terrifying! A P90, a machine gun, costs about
650 euros. Payment is made in Bitcoin. I'm getting a little sick right now! Worldwide shipping in less than 72 hours
after order received. Now we've just found a few shops that
are only shops in their own right. They looked pretty easy too. Now let's see if
there are still marketplaces. Marketplaces, like Ebay, people offer
their goods online.
Ok, the FBI was quicker than us. Exactly. The BKA…
Federal Criminal Police Office was already at the start. But you can also see that they are being caught. And then we still find an active
marketplace. By the way, his name is Berlusconi: But here we also see our problem: from
July 17 , it will be forbidden to offer weapons and explosives
. So you don't know why they don't
allow that anymore. There can be various reasons for this. Some don't want it because of ethics. The others for law enforcement. One does not know. Marketplaces come and go. Maybe a new one will come tomorrow and then
you can buy some again. Again and again, large marketplaces are
busted by the authorities and the operators screwed up. The operator of the market place where the
gunman from Munich bought a gun is in jail today. Six years, among others, for involuntary
manslaughter.
My trip to the dark web is over for now. With a little guidance, I came
across offers shockingly quickly. I mean, if you really want it, you just have to
take the risk. Then you just have it. And I mean, when people are desperate
or planning something like that, they're willing to… take risks. Third day: I'm on the road with Lars again. New strategy. Sixteen…
Nineteen… We're going straight to the junk shops now. Some are closed, elsewhere
dealers say they don't have guns. Getting one is a game of patience. I got that now. To be honest, I don't
believe in the success of getting an illegal gun anymore. Kind of a comforting thought. I'm not going to say where we're going to shoot with a hidden camera
, just this much: we'll find it. Admittedly not quite what I had
imagined: Lars finds a cane gun in a shop: a gun that pretends to be a cane.
We want more and ask: Do you also have Wehrmacht pistols? Rarely lately. We are always dependent on what is
offered to us. There may be something coming in next week. You are welcome to call us from time to time. You now have our phone number. The store now was an absolute hit. We actually found a sharp weapon there
: a forbidden object. The weapon we saw,
offered to us for 445 euros, ended up being a rifle disguised as a stick. It looked to me like they
screwed a pipe onto a piece of wood if I'm being completely honest. Actually are quite simple constructions. But when you fold that gun,
fold that trigger, it doesn't even strike an outsider that it's a
gun. Then that goes through as a walking stick. OK. Imagine he goes to
the bar with it, puts it somewhere, has an argument, all of a sudden he can
shoot with it.
That is why these items are forbidden. For the possession of this weapon alone there is
a penalty of six months to five years and since the weapon is commercially available here
, one can assume that the case is serious. So we're going in now, asking if
the lady was aware that the weapon she's selling is a forbidden one. And then ask how
you want to deal with it now?! Wouldn't she rather call the police
so that they could come pick her up? In the shop we meet the business owner. This mimics a walking stick. An object of daily use.
This is a firearm. You can see the sights here. The barrel is functional. Here below the recording for a whisper
is functional. That doesn't work. It's just a matter of spring adjustment. When the gun is cocked here, primer in here
, it is bent at the front here, then it folds over there and the bullet is driven out at the front
here. You, if I asked several people
and they all said, that's nothing, you. I mean, how many people should you
always ask? The official authority. Ultimately, the police are responsible
, you would have to ask them. All right, then we thank you and wish
you a nice weekend. We say goodbye, the dealer
promises to find out more from the police. If someone was looking for an illegal weapon:
According to Lars, he could have gotten it here , although I don't know whether the seller
offered it knowingly or unknowingly. Today it was just a stick gun, other
days Lars was offered a Kalashnikov. It's actually unimaginable, but my
record was actually 46 minutes in Berlin, but Lars didn't make it as fast as he announced.
That depends on chance. In the end we found a shooting walking stick
. Lars says you shouldn't underestimate that either:
you can take a human life with something like that. The thing is forbidden. I found a surprising number of offers online
. Whether these weapons really exist, I have no idea. One more thing: you remember the
flea market vendor who gave us his flyer. Lars called him and he said
come to Bavaria. I can show you something. His offer stands. After rampages and when people are killed with firearms in Germany , there are repeated calls for the gun laws to be tightened here. It doesn't address at all the issue of illegal weapons that are in the country, which is actually much more concerning to me.
I would be interested in how you see it. You are welcome to write that in the comments. You can also subscribe to our channel. And if you are interested in people demanding more legal guns in Germany. Then watch Timo's film from Ctrl_F..
