Updated
Apr 03, 2024, 01:57 AM
Published
Apr 03, 2024, 01:57 AM
One child was killed and two seriously wounded in a shooting at a school outside the Finnish capital on April 2, police said. A 12-year-old fellow pupil suspected of the attack has been taken into custody.
The shooting follows others that have put a focus on Finland’s gun policy:
JOKELA SHOOTING
In 2007, student Pekka-Eric Auvinen shot and killed six students, the school nurse, the principal, and himself using a handgun at Jokela High School, near Helsinki.
KAUHAJOKI SHOOTING
A year later, in 2008, Matti Saari, also a student, opened fire at a vocational school in Kauhajoki in northwest Finland. He killed nine students and one male staff member before turning the gun on himself.
RAUMANMERI SHOOTING
The Raumanmeri school shooting in 1989 was the first school shooting in the country’s history. A 14-year-old student fatally shot two of his classmates in Rauma in Western Finland. Being under the age of 15, he never faced any criminal charges.
GUN REGULATION IN FINLAND
Several amendments have been made to the firearms legislation over the past 10 years aimed at improving firearms security and streamlining the licencing process.
Following the 2007 and 2008 shootings, Finland tightened its gun legislation in 2010 and introduced an aptitude test for all firearms licence applicants.
The minimum age for applicants was also raised to 20 from 18.
A licence is always needed for possession of a firearm and all guns are registered. They may only be carried while they are being used for a specific purpose.
The gun must be unloaded and stored in a case or pouch when transported. The owner is responsible for making sure that guns and ammunition do not end up in unauthorized hands.
There are more than 1.5 million licenced firearms and about 430,000 licence holders in the country of 5.6 million people, where hunting and target shooting are popular.
The permits for the acquisition and possession of ordinary firearms is granted by local police departments, while the National Police Board grants permits for acquiring especially dangerous firearms, among other things. REUTERS
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