weapons law
das Waffengesetz, die Waffengesetze
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weapons law
The body of government regulations and laws that govern the acquisition, possession, trade, and use of weapons.
Nach dem Vorfall forderten viele Politiker eine Verschärfung des Waffengesetzes.
After the incident, many politicians called for a tightening of the weapons law.
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Waffengesetze |
| genitive | des Waffengesetzes |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Waffengesetz | die Waffengesetze |
| accusative | das Waffengesetz | die Waffengesetze |
| dative | dem Waffengesetz | den Waffengesetzen |
| genitive | des Waffengesetzes | der Waffengesetze |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
The word is made up of 'Waffen' (plural of Waffe, weapon) and 'Gesetz' (law). The '-n-' is a linking element that connects the two words. So it is literally a law about weapons.
Das neue Waffengesetz tritt nächstes Jahr in Kraft.
The new weapons law comes into force next year.
The component '-gesetz' (law) is very productive. If you recognize this pattern, you can understand many other German words, e.g., 'Tierschutzgesetz' (animal protection law), 'Datenschutzgesetz' (data protection law), or 'Verkehrsgesetz' (traffic law).
Das neue Datenschutzgesetz hat viele Diskussionen ausgelöst.
The new data protection law triggered many discussions.
In political and legal contexts, das Waffengesetz (the weapons law) is often combined with certain verbs: It is 'verschärft' (tightened/made stricter), 'gelockert' (relaxed/made less strict), or 'geändert' (changed).
Die Opposition fordert, das Waffengesetz zu verschärfen.
The opposition is calling for the weapons law to be tightened.
Gegen das geltende Waffengesetz zu verstoßen, ist eine Straftat.
Violating the current weapons law is a criminal offense.
