After the killing spree in Graz: Interior Minister calls for stricter weapons laws!

After the killing spree in Graz: Interior Minister calls for stricter weapons laws!

Graz, Österreich - After the tragic killing spree at a Graz school, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner Meadfast consequences and legal changes. He describes the current situation as "unbearable", in particular the data protection regulations that refuse to access information from the positional authorities.

The discussion about a possible tightening of the weapons law has gained intensity. The focus is also on the increased victim protection and school security measures. Karner emphasizes that the State Criminal Police Office Styria needs time for the necessary investigation. He also plans bilateral conversations with his EU colleagues from countries such as France, Sweden and the Czech Republic that have experienced similar incidents.

international incidents and changes in the weapons law

In France, a 14-year-old student recently stabbed a educational assistant, while 186 knives were confiscated with 6,000 pocket controls. In response to such violent acts, President Macron calls for an EU-wide social media ban for children under the age of 15. In Sweden, a firearm attack killed ten people, which again fueled the debate about tightened weapons laws. After a terrible incident in the Czech Republic, in which a 24-year-old student shot 14 people, the weapons laws were also tightened there.

In Germany, the Federal Ministry of the Interior has launched a draft to change weapons law, which is currently being coordinated with other ministries. For the 20th time, the first killing spree at a school, who demanded 16 lives in Erfurt in 2002 in Erfurt, 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 weapons and the need to thoroughly evaluate weapons law.

targeted changes in the law

declared goal of the planned change in law in Germany is to prevent radicalized or mentally ill people access to weapons. In Germany, around one million people have legal weapons, most of them are sports shooters. There are about 1,500 alleged right -wing extremists among these. The protection of the constitution warns that more and more neo -Nazis are trying to enter shooting clubs to get weapons.

The change provides, among other things, the facilitation of withdrawal of weapon ownership cards and is intended to ensure better cooperation between the protection of the constitution, the arms authorities and the police. However, many critics fear stigmatization of legal gun owners and additional bureaucratization. Historian Dagmar Ellerbrock argues that weapons law should be regarded as a privileged right, which is subject to strict regulations.

protective measures in Europe and the USA

Similar efforts are also shown in the United States, where US President Joe Biden demands sharper weapons laws after a killing spree in all, Texas. The incident, in which a 33-year-old man killed eight people, including children, brought the problem of gun violence into focus again. 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 died by May 8, 2023 due to firearms and suicides.

The debate about weapons laws extends across national borders, with experts emphasize that only certain measures, such as the ban on high capacity magazines, can actually have measurable effects on amotlets. The discussion remains tense, while in both Europe and the USA the search for the best balance between security and arms laws continues.