"As World War I drew to a close, the new Weimar Republic government banned nearly all private gun ownership to comply with the Treaty of Versailles and mandated that all guns and ammunition โbe surrendered immediately.โ The law was loosened in 1928, and gun permits were granted to citizens โof undoubted reliabilityโ (in the lawโs words) but not โpersons who are itinerant like Gypsies.โ In 1938, under Nazi rule, gun laws became significantly more relaxed. Rifle and shotgun possession were deregulated, and gun access for hunters, Nazi Party members, and government officials was expanded. The legal age to own a gun was lowered. Jews, however, were prohibited from owning firearms and other dangerous weapons."