After the rampage in Graz: Interior Minister calls for stricter gun laws!

After the rampage in Graz: Interior Minister calls for stricter gun laws!

After the tragic shooting at a school in Graz, the Minister of the Interior calls for Gerhard Karner inevitable consequences and legal changes. He describes the current situation as “unbearable”, especially the data protection regulations that deny the weapons authorities access to information from the position authorities.

The discussion about a possible tightening of gun laws has become more intense. The focus is also on increased victim protection and school safety measures. Karner emphasizes that the Styrian State Criminal Police Office needs time for the necessary investigations. He is also planning bilateral talks with his EU colleagues from countries such as France, Sweden and the Czech Republic, which have experienced similar incidents.

International incidents and gun law changes

In France, a 14-year-old student recently stabbed a teaching assistant, while 186 knives were confiscated during 6,000 bag checks. In response to such violence, President Macron is calling for an EU-wide social media ban on children under 15. A gun attack in Sweden killed ten people, reigniting debate over stricter gun laws. After a terrible incident in the Czech Republic in which a 24-year-old student shot 14 people, gun laws were also tightened there.

In Germany, the Federal Ministry of the Interior has launched a draft to change gun law, which is currently being coordinated with other ministries. This is the 20th anniversary of the first school shooting, which claimed 16 lives in Erfurt in 2002, followed by further tragic events in Winnenden and Hanau. All of these perpetrators had access to legal firearms. In this context, Irene Mihalic from the Greens emphasizes the risks of private gun ownership and the need to thoroughly evaluate gun laws.

Targeted changes to the law

The stated aim of the planned change in the law in Germany is to deny radicalized or mentally ill people access to weapons. In Germany, around a million people legally own weapons, most of whom are sport shooters. Of these, there are around 1,500 suspected right-wing extremists. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution warns that more and more neo-Nazis are trying to join shooting clubs in order to get weapons.

The change provides, among other things, for making it easier to withdraw gun ownership cards and is intended to ensure better cooperation between the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, weapons authorities and the police. However, many critics fear that legal gun owners will be stigmatized and additional bureaucratization will occur. Historian Dagmar Ellerbrock argues that gun rights should be viewed as a privileged right that is subject to strict regulations.

Protective measures in Europe and the USA

Similar efforts can also be seen in the USA, where US President Joe Biden is calling for stricter gun laws after a shooting in Allen, Texas. The incident in which a 33-year-old man killed eight people, including children, brings the problem of gun violence back into focus. According to the Gun Violence Archive, an average of 55 people are killed by firearms in the United States every day. A total of 14,798 people had died due to firearms and suicide by May 8, 2023.

The debate over gun laws extends across national borders, with experts pointing out that only certain measures, such as banning high-capacity magazines, can actually have measurable effects on mass shootings. The debate remains tense as the search for the best balance between safety and gun laws continues in both Europe and the United States.