Latest news with #Glock
DW
a day ago
- Politics
- DW
Austria plans gun control measures after school shooting
Austria's coalition government is taking steps to tighten gun laws following a deadly school shooting that shocked the country last week. A 21-year-old gunman killed 10 people and then himself at his former high school in the southern city of Graz using a shotgun and Glock pistol he owned legally. Austria has a relatively relaxed policy on firearms purchases when compared to other European countries, and the shooting has prompted the government to tighten some rules. Current rules allow for shotgun purchases for any adult who has not been banned from owning weapons. Meanwhile, buying a Glock requires a gun permit pending a psychological test and a minimum age of 21. Minimum age for gun ownership to be raised Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker introduced some of the proposed reforms during a press conference after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday in Vienna. "We ... promised that we would not go back to business as usual and that we would draw the right conclusions from this crime to live up to the responsibility we have," Stocker said. "Today's cabinet decision shows that we are fulfilling that responsibility," he added. At the top of the list is raising the minimum age to buy a dangerous firearm from 21 to 25 years old. The waiting period between purchase and receipt of a firearm will be raised from three days to four weeks. Newly issued gun permits are set to expire after eight years. Emphasis on mental health More emphasis is also to be placed on psychological tests required for gun owners. The government also plans to increase the number of school psychologists over the next three years. "In the future, school psychology must no longer be the exception, but the rule," Stocker said. Grief and shock in Austria after deadly school shooting The aim is to identify potential dangers at an early stage and make access to particularly dangerous weapons more difficult, the chancellor added. The assailant had failed a psychological screening test required for military service, but the armed forces are not currently permitted to share that information. Along these lines, the government said better data transfer between the armed forces and firearm regulatory agencies is another measure that will ensure this information is considered in gun permit applications. "Anyone who is dangerous should no longer be allowed to own a firearm," said Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler. An investigation into the possible motive of the shooter is ongoing.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Austria moves to tighten gun laws after deadly school shooting
'Nothing we do, including what we have decided today, will bring back the 10 people we lost last Tuesday,' Chancellor Christian Stocker of Austria said. 'We are painfully aware of this. But I can promise you one thing: We will learn from this tragedy.' Advertisement The suspect in the shooting, who police said had been found dead in an apparent suicide, was a 21-year-old former student of the school who had dropped out. His identity has not been disclosed because of Austrian privacy laws. Nine students and a teacher died in the attack. The motive is unclear, but police have confirmed the suspect's fascination with past school shootings and his reverence for their perpetrators. The man failed the psychological test required as part of the assessment for military service, and those who knew him described him as conspicuously antisocial. Yet he was able to buy the guns that he used — a Glock pistol and a shotgun that he had modified — legally. Lawmakers are expected to approve the new rules by a big majority, a sign of how deeply the attack in Graz, Austria's second largest city, shocked the country. Advertisement Austria has some of the laxest gun ownership laws in Europe. Under current rules, the shotgun the shooter used can be bought by anyone older than 18. The suspect was able to buy the handgun after passing a psychological test. There are roughly 1.5 million privately owned firearms registered in Austria, a country of just more than 9 million, which are often used for hunting or sport shooting. Stocker said that hunters would not be affected by the new rules. The proposals also include tougher restrictions that are not directly related to guns. The government wants to double the number of school psychologists in the next three years and make it mandatory for students who drop out to undergo psychological assessments. It is also seeking to restrict children's access to social media. The broad acceptance of the push to strengthen the country's gun laws was evident when Herbert Kickl, the firebrand leader of the far-right Freedom Party, who typically opposes most government proposals, spoke in parliament on the issue Monday. Instead of challenging the new controls, he insisted only that the government take more time before it comes up with recommendations. 'I don't think now is the time to pledge or announce that this or that measure will solve a problem,' he told lawmakers. The investigation into the attack last week has not concluded. On Tuesday, police said they had found five clips for the pistol on the shooter's body and an additional 18 bullets in his backpack. He appears to have shot the handgun roughly 50 times before killing himself in a school laboratory, about a minute after officers arrived at the scene. Advertisement Police also confirmed that the man posted a photo of his lower body, taken in a school bathroom, on social media immediately before the attack. Stocker said that the government would make 20 million euros (about $23 million) available for the families of the victims to handle costs such as funerals. This article originally appeared in
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Austria Moves to Tighten Gun Laws After Deadly School Shooting
The Austrian government on Wednesday proposed a bundle of new laws on private gun ownership, eight days after the deadliest school shooting in the country's history. The measures include raising the minimum age to own some firearms, including handguns, to 25 from 21, strengthening the mandatory psychological test that must be passed to buy a gun and instituting a four-week waiting period between the purchase and the delivery of a first weapon. The government also wants to make it easier for the results of psychological evaluations to be more easily shared among government agencies. 'Nothing we do, including what we have decided today, will bring back the 10 people we lost last Tuesday,' Chancellor Christian Stocker of Austria said. 'We are painfully aware of this. But I can promise you one thing: We will learn from this tragedy,' he added. The suspect in the shooting, who the police said had been found dead in an apparent suicide, was a 21-year-old former student of the school who had dropped out; his identity has not been disclosed because of Austrian privacy laws. Nine students and a teacher died in the attack. The motive is unclear, but the police have confirmed the suspect's fascination with past school shootings and his reverence for their perpetrators. The man failed the psychological test required as part of the assessment for military service, and those who knew him described him as conspicuously antisocial. Yet he was able to buy the guns that he used — a Glock pistol and a shotgun that he had modified — legally. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Muscat Daily
2 days ago
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Austria plans gun control measures after school shooting
Vienna, Austria – Austria's coalition government is taking steps to tighten gun laws following a deadly school shooting that shocked the country last week. A 21-year-old gunman killed 10 people and then himself at his former high school in the southern city of Graz using a shotgun and Glock pistol he owned legally. Austria has a relatively relaxed policy on firearms purchases when compared to other European countries, and the shooting has prompted the government to tighten some rules. Current rules allow for shotgun purchases for any adult who has not been banned from owning weapons. Meanwhile, buying a Glock requires a gun permit pending a psychological test and a minimum age of 21. Minimum age for ownership to be raised Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker introduced some of the proposed reforms during a press conference after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday in Vienna. 'We … promised that we would not go back to business as usual and that we would draw the right conclusions from this crime to live up to the responsibility we have,' Stocker said. 'Today's cabinet decision shows that we are fulfilling that responsibility,' he added. At the top of the list is raising the minimum age to buy a dangerous firearm from 21 to 25 years old. The waiting period between purchase and receipt of a firearm will be raised from three days to four weeks. Newly issued gun permits are set to expire after eight years. Emphasis on mental health More emphasis is also to be placed on psychological tests required for gun owners. The government also plans to increase the number of school psychologists over the next three years. 'In the future, school psychology must no longer be the exception, but the rule,' Stocker said. The aim is to identify potential dangers at an early stage and make access to particularly dangerous weapons more difficult, the chancellor added. The assailant had failed a psychological screening test required for military service, but the armed forces are not currently permitted to share that information. Along these lines, the government said better data transfer between the armed forces and firearm regulatory agencies is another measure that will ensure this information is considered in gun permit applications. 'Anyone who is dangerous should no longer be allowed to own a firearm,' said Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler. An investigation into the possible motive of the shooter is ongoing. DW
DW
2 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Austria plans gun control measures after school shooting – DW – 06/18/2025
After a shooter killed 10 people at a school in Graz, Austria's government is tightening rules on gun purchases by raising the minimum age and calling for more psychological screening. Austria's coalition government is taking steps to tighten gun laws following a deadly school shooting that shocked the country last week. A 21-year-old gunman killed 10 people and then himself at his former high school in the southern city of Graz using a shotgun and Glock pistol he owned legally. Austria has a relatively relaxed policy on firearms purchases when compared to other European countries, and the shooting has prompted the government to tighten some rules. Current rules allow for shotgun purchases for any adult who has not been banned from owning weapons. Meanwhile, buying a Glock requires a gun permit pending a psychological test and a minimum age of 21. Minimum age for gun ownership to be raised Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker introduced some of the proposed reforms during a press conference after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday in Vienna. "We ... promised that we would not go back to business as usual and that we would draw the right conclusions from this crime to live up to the responsibility we have," Stocker said. "Today's cabinet decision shows that we are fulfilling that responsibility," he added. Chancellor Christian Stocker said his government would 'fulfill its responsibility' on preventing another mass shooting Image: Alex Halada/AFP At the top of the list is raising the minimum age to buy a dangerous firearm from 21 to 25 years old. The waiting period between purchase and receipt of a firearm will be raised from three days to four weeks. Newly issued gun permits are set to expire after eight years. Emphasis on mental health More emphasis is also to be placed on psychological tests required for gun owners. The government also plans to increase the number of school psychologists over the next three years. "In the future, school psychology must no longer be the exception, but the rule," Stocker said. Grief and shock in Austria after deadly school shooting To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The aim is to identify potential dangers at an early stage and make access to particularly dangerous weapons more difficult, the chancellor added. The assailant had failed a psychological screening test required for military service, but the armed forces are not currently permitted to share that information. Along these lines, the government said better data transfer between the armed forces and firearm regulatory agencies is another measure that will ensure this information is considered in gun permit applications. "Anyone who is dangerous should no longer be allowed to own a firearm," said Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler. An investigation into the possible motive of the shooter is ongoing. Edited by: Zac Crellin
