In Germany, owning guns is a privilege that can be taken away—not for breaking the law, but for holding the wrong political opinion.

Members and supporters of the right-leaning Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party are now facing mass gun license revocations. The reason? The German government has labeled the AfD a “right-wing extremist” group—a political designation that suddenly makes its members “unreliable” under the country’s gun laws. And just like that, firearms must be surrendered or destroyed.

If that sounds outrageous, it should. But it’s not surprising.

Here in the U.S., we’ve already seen our own political establishment flirt with these kinds of tactics. Remember when New York’s then-Governor Andrew Cuomo said pro-gun conservatives “have no place” in his state? Or when San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors labeled the NRA a “domestic terrorist organization”? Label first. Punish later.

That’s the playbook being used in Germany right now. And it’s worth paying attention to.

Government Labels a Popular Opposition Party “Extremist”—Then Comes the Crackdown

In 2021, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), designated the entire AfD as a “suspected threat to democracy.” That move allowed the government to surveil, wiretap, and investigate the party and its members.

It didn’t stop there.

Courts have now upheld revoking gun licenses from AfD members, based solely on their political affiliation. In one case, a couple in North Rhine-Westphalia lost legal ownership of over 200 firearms. They weren’t criminals. They weren’t accused of wrongdoing. They were just AfD members.

Another court in Thuringia blocked a blanket gun ban for all AfD members—but left the door wide open for revocations on a case-by-case basis.

In Saxony-Anhalt, officials are reviewing the gun licenses of 109 AfD members. As of last fall, 72 had already been targeted for revocation, with the rest under active review. The justification? Supporting a party the state now claims is “working against the constitutional order.”

And the courts are backing it up. According to a March 2024 ruling, former or current AfD supporters “lack the reliability” required to legally own firearms.

Why the AfD’s Platform Sounds Familiar to American Ears

You don’t have to support the AfD to see the dangerous precedent here. In fact, many of their stated positions would be right at home in American politics:

• Support for limited government and individual liberty
• Stronger penalties for violent crime
• Calls for unbiased law enforcement and judicial independence
• Opposition to political censorship
• A demand for simple, fair taxes for middle- and low-income citizens

On gun rights, their platform is clear: “A liberal and constitutional state has to trust its citizens… The AfD opposes any form of restrictions of civil rights by tightening firearms legislation.”

Sound extreme to you? Or does that sound like something a lot of Americans already believe?

European Values, or Political Weaponization?

At the 2024 Munich Security Conference, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance warned European leaders that the real threat to democracy wasn’t external—it was internal. He cited censorship, election manipulation, and silencing dissent as signs that Western democracies are losing their way.

Vance specifically called out the Munich organizers for banning populist parties from the event, not because they were violent or criminal, but because their views didn’t align with the ruling class.

What we’re seeing in Germany today proves his point.

Label a political opponent “dangerous.” Use that label to strip them of rights. Target their supporters. Marginalize them from public life. And if they own guns? Take those, too.

This isn’t some far-off dystopian future. It’s happening now. In a Western democracy.

This Could Happen Here—And Some Already Want It To

Before you dismiss this as a uniquely European issue, remember this: the Biden administration has repeatedly warned that “domestic extremism” is the greatest threat to national security. Not China. Not cyberattacks. Not narco-terrorists. American citizens.

If you think that political language won’t eventually be used to push disarmament here at home, think again. The blueprint has already been written.

In Germany, they didn’t need new laws. They just reinterpreted existing ones through the lens of “extremism” and used that to silence—and disarm—the opposition.

They redefined lawful gun owners as threats to democracy. Then they acted accordingly.

The Bottom Line

When the state decides your political affiliation makes you “unreliable,” your rights are already gone.

This isn’t just a German problem. It’s a warning for all of us.

Whether you vote left, right, or something else entirely, the right to speak your mind, defend your life, and participate in your nation’s political life should never depend on who’s in charge—or what party you support.

Today it’s AfD members in Germany. Tomorrow? It could be you.