With concerns over the influx of migrants and surging crimes committed by these refugees, Germans are reportedly stocking up on firearms for protection, boosting the sale of various types of weapons by up to three times more.
For weeks, arms sellers and regulatory agencies have reported an increased demand for gun permits, and are selling three times as many alarm, gas and signal guns than the usual, according to WND.
The report comes just two months after the German website Focus said the nation was experiencing shortages of pepper spray.
"People no longer feel safe, otherwise they would not be buying so many products here," a seller in North-Rhine Westphalia told Deutsche Welle on Wednesday.
The rise in weapons sale is attributed to a slew of sexual assaults in Cologne, Bielefeld, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart on New Year's Eve when more than 100 sex attacks were reported in Cologne alone, said the businessman. The attacks, which targeted women, made international headlines and raised concerns about refugees among large segments of German society.
"Carrying arms is also necessary in Germany, because our police can no longer protect us from burglars," said an elderly man who applauded American gun rights, WND reported.
German authorities said only citizens with "spotless record'' could be issued the permit. They must also be over the age of 18, willing to pay $65 for a permit and have a clear record after a comprehensive background check on the purchaser.
A social-media expert from Cologne, meanwhile, said that the online search records for guns and other protective weapons corroborate the seller's claims.
"There has been an increase of at least 1,000 percent or more in Google search queries for gun permits since January," said Felix Beilharz.
Other European countries that are pining for American gun rights are Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. These countries are also struggling to cope with surging crimes since the arrival of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa.
Deutsche Welle said Germans are now lauding the U.S. for its Second Amendment rights now that Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to accept 1.1 million has backfired, WND reported.
