A 38-year-old man from Germany intended to enjoy a festive New Year in Amsterdam with friends. Sadly, he ended up in jail after firing a gas gun from a car in the city center on New Years Eve.
In Germany, owning a gas gun is legal, so the man assumed it was allowed in the Netherlands as well. However, this proved not to be the case. A gas gun can indeed cause harm, stated the prosecutor during a speedy trial where the man appeared. A gas gun falls under Dutch weapons law and is therefore prohibited, the prosecutor added.
The man was arrested in the center of Amsterdam after reports of someone shooting from a car. I did it for fun, the arrested man said, who specifically bought the gas gun for this purpose, along with the fireworks found in his cars trunk. A search also revealed that he had cartridges suitable for the gas gun.
This led to suspicions of weapon possession and possession of related ammunition. The man, who has been detained since New Years Eve, was sentenced today in a speedy trial to six weeks in prison, with two weeks on probation, following a six-week demand.