Court to rule on multi-year knife bans in North Rhine-Westphalia

The Higher Administrative Court in Münster will examine the legality of extended knife bans in several North Rhine-Westphalia cities on September 29. The court's 5th Senate will hear the case of an 18-year-old from Wuppertal, addressing whether police can prohibit individuals from carrying knives or other dangerous items for several years. This fundamental question has led to differing judicial opinions.

The Administrative Court in Düsseldorf previously ruled in September 2025 that the Wuppertal ban was largely unlawful, stating only the federal government could regulate general knife carrying through the Weapons Act. However, in an earlier summary proceeding in July 2025, the Münster court had indicated a different view. The highest administrative judges in North Rhine-Westphalia were convinced that police could base individual knife bans on general public safety laws without a specific legal basis, especially when there were sufficient grounds to believe an individual posed a concrete threat to public order due to repeated criminal offenses.

Similar bans are in place in other cities like Dortmund, Bonn, Recklinghausen, and Mönchengladbach. Former Dortmund police chief Gregor Lange, for instance, ordered a ban in 2024 for specific individuals in Dortmund and Lünen to combat knife crime. These measures typically target repeat offenders or those who have previously used weapons like knives, baseball bats, hammers, axes, or hatchets in criminal acts. The upcoming September ruling will address the main proceedings, with the court having allowed an appeal due to the fundamental nature of the question.