Some 750 right-wing extremists legally own guns in Germany, up from 400 in 2014, the Welt Am Sonntag newspaper reported.
In 2016, the number of attacks with weapons on refugees, refugee shelters and volunteers working with migrants doubled when compared with the previous year, the newspaper reported on Sunday.
There were 79 cases nationwide of people or institutions being attacked with weapons. In 2015, the authorities said there were about 30 attacks of this nature.
Martina Renner, the lawmaker who sought this information in a question to parliament, told the newspaper that the fact that double the number of arms was used in "racist attacks" on refugees means that a nationwide plan was needed to secure them and their accommodation.
While gun ownership is not uncommon in Germany, weapons are usually used for sporting or recreational purposes, and permits for self-defence weapons are rare. Gun owners require a permit and are subjected to strict controls on how the weapon is stored.
