If you buy or sell firearms or ammunition on a commercial basis or independently as part of a business venture, accept or seek out orders, transfer them to others or act as an intermediary in acquiring, selling or transferring them, you require a firearms dealer's license. You can prove that you have the necessary specialist knowledge by passing a specialist knowledge examination before the examination board of your federal state, unless you have the qualification required by the Weapons Act (as a gunsmith entered in the Register of Craftsmen).

As a rule, a chamber of industry and commerce (IHK) in your federal state is responsible for conducting the firearms specialist examination and managing the examination board for proof of specialist knowledge in the firearms trade. The examination board is generally responsible for the entire federal state.

In the specialist knowledge examination before the examination board, you demonstrate your knowledge

• about firearms and ammunition of all kinds, if you have applied for a comprehensive firearms trading license, or
• on the types of firearms and ammunition for which you have applied for a permit to trade.

Usually, the examination is conducted by order of the authority to which you applied for the firearms permit and cannot be applied for separately.

In the theoretical part of the examination, you must demonstrate knowledge of the regulations governing the trade in firearms and ammunition, the acquisition and carrying of firearms, as well as the basic features of the other regulations governing firearms.

In the practical part of the examination, you must demonstrate safe handling of the tested categories of weapons. This includes, among other things, the disassembly and assembly, the naming of essential parts and the description of the mode of operation.

In order to successfully pass the specialized knowledge examination for the trade in weapons and ammunition, you need not only theoretical, but also practical knowledge. Therefore, extensive preparation is recommended.

If you have applied for a permit to trade in ammunition, you will be tested on the handling of common ammunition and its use in the associated firearm.