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Austria sells itself on, and basks in, the reflected glow of sunlight bouncing off snow-clad peaks onto postcard-perfect houses and quaint country inns.

In Vienna the theme is one of endless rounds of Sachetorte cakes, steaming hot coffee, shopping in the glitzy stores and dining on schnitzels as big as table-tennis bats.

But the imagery, carefully nurtured by the Alpine land's tourism Czars, papers over a creeping and deep fear now gripping the population.

It is an ugly mood that has settled in the mountain villages and the lowland towns and cities, triggered by age-old prejudice and long-held suspicion of 'the other' in society.

Mass immigration in the form of asylum seekers has created this fear which is visible in the staggering rise in gun sales, as well as burglar alarms, pepper sprays and guard dogs.

The Sound of Music melodies have gone forever, replaced by the echoes of gunfire and the conversation of a people who fear the old ways and values have now evaporated for good.

Many of the first time buyers of guns and dogs are women like shop assistant Lisa Herdina, 28, who lives near Austria's largest refugee camp at Traiskirchen , just south of the capital Vienna.

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She like many does not believe government assurances that there is nothing to worry about from the 200,000 refugees who have entered the country in recent months.

Of those that stayed, many have ended up in Traiskirchen, turning the area into a ghetto littered by rubbish and plagued by crime, and with thousands sleeping rough.

Because of the sensitivity of the subject the Austrian Interior Ministry only reluctantly hands out statistics, but a report earlier in the year based on leaked Interior Ministry figures for 2014 revealed that one in three criminals are foreigners, and in the capital Vienna just 12 miles from Traiskirchen it was almost every second criminal (46.71 percent).

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Defending her decision to keep a gun at home blonde Lisa said: "I keep my gun in my house because it gives me a feeling of safety, especially when I'm alone."

And she said that although her dog was only small, she mainly wanted him as an additional safety measure.

She said: "My dog is great protection because he warns me every time anybody is anywhere near our house."

And as well as dogs a growing number of Austrians like Lisa are buying guns and getting the licences needed to allow them to use the weapons for self-defence at home. In August for example less than 10 people obtained a licence to keep a pistol at home for self-defence, whereas last month in October the figure was in the hundreds.

Results published recently from a survey commissioned by Viennese newspaper Heute showed that 60 percent of respondents say the arrival of refugees and migrants is a cause for fear and unease.

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As well as women, many of the people now buying guns of police officers who want them for private use.

One officer highlighted the difference between statistics for 2001 and 2014 which showed that the number of Austrians committing crimes has increased by six percent, from 156,720 to 166,221, whereas the number of foreigners committing crimes as increased by 90 percent from 47,256 to 89,541.

He said: "The additional 200,000 plus of foreign refugees known to have entered the country has a lot of people worried."

In gun shops people can be seen waiting patiently as if in the supermarket to buy weapons. One such dealership is the well-known weaponsmith 'Seidler' in the capital Vienna.

Owner Heribert Seidler confirmed that there was a one month waiting list even for pistols like the Austrian made Glock and he said: "We simply underestimated what the demand would be. It caught everyone by surprise.

"We get the regulars in, but now we are seeing people who clearly have never clearly been in a gunsmiths before, and surprisingly there are also a large number of policemen coming along who want private guns for their own homes and families."

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In Austria all police officers are licensed to carry guns, and the fact that those who are on the front lines of tackling criminality in the country now feel the need to have one for their personal residences as well is seen as a further worrying sign.

Gun dealers in the Alpine Republic said shotguns, which do not need a licence, have been sold out for months, but a check reveals that now even licensed guns like the iconic Glocks, which have been made in the country since 1981, are only available after a four-month or more waiting list, something which was unheard of until the refugee crisis happened.

Prices in Austria for weapons are affordable, a new Glock at £489 is about the same price as a new iPhone, and a shotgun which needs no paperwork is even cheaper at just £349.

Those standing in queues at Seidler to enquire about guns, pepper sprays, crossbows and knives are however reluctant to speak.

One young woman who asked not to be named said she had been given the all clear after taking a psychiatric evaluation for a revolver and planned to keep it at home for personal protection.

She said: "I don't have a dog or a boyfriend, a gun helps me to sleep easier."

Critics say that a climate of intolerance is being fuelled by right-wingers who speak darkly of "foreigners" in the tiny Alpine land. But those rushing to arm themselves say they are acting with common sense to protect themselves, their property and their loved ones.

Gun courses too have seen business booming, where those who already have guns want to either learn to use them, or to brush up on their skills.

In Traiskirchen Lisa said she was taking regular lessons and gun expert Daniel Pochhacker, who runs a private detective firm with his father Walter in the state of Lower Austria, confirmed that he has seen a 20 percent increase in the number of gun owners signing up for their shooting classes.

The Pochhacker agency became a household name in Austria for its work on investigating the disappearance of Natasha Kampusch, who was kidnapped on the way to school aged 10, and kept in a cellar for eight years by pervert Wolfgang Priklopil.

And according to Daniel there is a direct link between the gun-shooting surge and the migrant crisis.

He said: "Most of our customers have a firearm certificate and now want lessons to handle their own guns with more confidence.

"Our clients mostly want to protect their families and their property in case of burglary. At least in Lower Austria, we assume the interest is increasing due to the uncertain future of the refugees."

Although most of their clients are men, there has also been an increase in the number of women looking to protect themselves.

The news follows statistics from the Interior Ministry that show nearly 70,000 more guns were sold in Austria compared to a similar period last year.

Although Austria has always had high levels of gun ownership, there are now an estimated 900,000 firearms in households in the country of 8.5 million people.

Of the 200,000 that came into the country, Austria is expecting around 85,000 to apply for a visa which is already a significant increase on the 28,000 received last year.

The fact that they were allowed in at all prompted the far-right Freedom Party of Austria leader Heinz-Christian Strache to brand it "state-sponsored human trafficking".

He accused the government of having no idea how many refugees and migrants had entered Austria and said even if it was 85,000 as the government claims, that figure would make Austria one of the highest recipients in Europe on a per-capita basis.

The secretary of Austria's gun lobby organisation IWO (Interessengemeinschaft liberales Waffenrecht in Osterreich) - the equivalent of the American NRA (National Rifle Association) - Dr Georg Zakrajsek, said fear was why they have seen membership of their organisation growing every day.

He said: "The main reason for the increase is the foreign people who come to Austria. People are anxious because our government does not check or control these people. We do not know who is coming to Austria, so people here try to have protection for themselves.

"No guns have been used so far against foreigners, but they could be. We have programmes to house them in tents but it is difficult to feed and care for them. If it does not work, these people would begin to break into houses. People are anxious about this."

Meanwhile, dog handlers have reported an increase in enquiries from people looking to train their dogs to guard property and family, with courses booked out, and prices for breeds like Rottweilers and Alsatians are going through the roof.

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Dog trainer Oliver Schroeder, from the eastern Austrian state of Burgenland, has been working with dogs for over 25 years. He believes people are in general feeling less safe in society than they used to.

He said: "More people are asking if I have a training programme for the dogs to protect cars or houses or people.

"Most people are not feeling safe. I think it's a sign of the times. They don't talk together, they feel unsafe if they go on the underground or in the city and maybe they feel there is not enough police on the street.

"A lot of these customers are women, aged between 25 and 35-years-old, who live alone and feel better if they know someone can protect them."

Carol Byers from the animal protection group Animal Care Austria confirmed adoption of stray dogs was also increasing and added that regardless of size "everybody knows having a dog is the best thing to do to secure your place."

She pointed out that her own basset hounds were able to prevent a burglary in a store below her apartment when they began barking after smelling the intruders, which scared them off.

And she added: "Just the sound of a barking dog is enough to make burglars think twice about coming in."

The Arche Noah animal home in the city of Graz, in the southern state of Styria, also confirmed spiking interest in dogs for protection.

Spokeswoman Dr Krobath-Jammernegg said: "We hear more and more often that people want to have a dog to feel protected."

Increasing numbers of Austrians are also having household security alarms fitted to their properties, with firms offering high-tech security systems reporting "a very high demand at the moment".

Daniel Fenyoe, from the security installation firm PrimaVIP in the state of Lower Austria, said that people are now more likely to ask for smart systems for their home.

Reinhard Fruhwald, Product-Manager at electronics giant Conrad, said: "For the last few years the trend towards alarm systems has been increasing. But in the past few months the trend for Do-It-Yourself alarm systems has become a hit.

"Alarms, window protection alarms and motion sensors are all increasing. People are using systems via their smart phones making it possible to secure their homes for less than 250 Euros."

Many companies are also investing in much more expensive security systems

Sicherheitspartner GmbH in the town of Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria offers very high-tech much more expensive security systems and boss Andreas Goettinger said: "We have a very high demand at the moment. Owners of expensive property are prepared to pay the price for their security."

Security firm Securitas also now offers a new service offering security services in well-to-do areas in order to scare off would-be burglars.

The security firm declined to speculate on whether demand for alarms was linked into fear of refugees.

However it is a fact that the increased demand for the systems as well as the increased demand for dogs, guns, pepper spray and security fences has risen at the same time as support for the anti-immigration, anti-migrant Freedom Party which is currently enjoying backing from one-in-three Austrians.

When contacted, party leader Heinz-Christian Strache said: "The Austrian government, just like the EU, has completely failed in attempting to manage this migrations disaster. The ordinary man in the street, with good reason, feels completely neglected and abandoned."

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Vienna's mayor Michael Haupl has promised an extra 1,000 police officers to patrol the city streets but it is seen as too much too late by many.

Freedom Party politician Johann Gudenus, set to be Vienna's new deputy mayor after the last election, said: "According to the latest Interior Ministry statistics, every 15 minutes a foreigner commits a crime in Vienna. There is no doubt where this uncontrolled immigration is leading, namely to a dramatic increase in the number of crimes committed by foreigners."