Finland
Commission Proposes Ban on Semi-automatic Handguns in Finland
Macleans (Canada)
4 March 2010
On Sept. 23, 2008, a culinary student named Matti Juhani Saari walked into a vocational college in Kauhajoki, Finland, drew a semi-automatic pistol, and killed 10 people before taking his own life. Less than a year earlier, an 18-year-old fatally shot eight people at a high school in Tuusula, 50 km north of Helsinki, before killing himself. In the wake of Saari's rampage, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen promised a grieving nation that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
National Handgun Ban Mooted After String of Shootings in Finland
Associated Press
17 February 2010
HELSINKI, Finland - A Finnish government commission on Wednesday proposed a ban on semiautomatic handguns after two school shootings in recent years left 20 people dead. The ban, which needs parliamentary approval, would sharply reduce the number of legal weapons in a country that ranks among the world's top five in civilian gun ownership. "We've had a very weapon-friendly culture," commission chairman Pekka Sauri said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
'Jealous' Finland Gunman Stalked, Killed Ex-girlfiend, 4 Others, Self
Sydney Morning Herald
3 January 2010
A man who killed his former girlfriend then shot dead four of her work colleagues at a shopping mall in Finland appears to have deliberately pinpointed his victims. Ibrahim Shkupolli, a father of three originally from Kosovo, ended his New Year's Eve killing spree by turning his weapon on himself, bringing the overall toll from the tragedy in the Helsinki suburb of Espoo to six. As relatives tried to come to terms with... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Police Say Finland Shopping Mall Gunman Stalked, Chose His Victims
Associated Press
1 January 2010
ESPOO,Finland - The gunman who killed five people during a shooting rampage in Finland apparently chose his victims, police said Friday. Chief investigator Esa Gronlund of the National Bureau of Investigation told reporters that a preliminary investigation has indicated that Ibrahim Shkupolli's method of shooting the five Finns, most of them at a shopping mall in the town of Espoo, suggest that he had planned Thursday's slayings,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Latest Finland Shooting Spree Prompts New Gun Law
Agence France Presse
1 January 2010
Finland is in mourning after a jealous ex-lover shot dead his former girlfriend and four of her work colleagues in the latest armed rampage which has reignited debate on the country's gun controls. Ibrahim Shkupolli ended his killing spree on Thursday by turning his weapon on himself, bringing the overall toll from the tragedy in the normally sleepy Helsinki suburb of Espoo to six. As relatives of the victims tried to come... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Gunman Kills Ex-Girlfriend, 4 Others, Self in Finland's Latest Mass Shooting
Independent (UK)
1 January 2010
After two mass shootings in two years, Finns had been hoping they had seen an end to such murderous outbreaks. But yesterday the small Scandinavian nation's nightmare returned when a solitary gunman dressed in black killed five shop assistants near Helsinki, sparking fresh concerns over the country's liberal gun laws. The gunman, who had previous convictions for gun offences, shot his ex-girlfriend with an unlicensed handgun at... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finland to Tighten 'Primitive' Gun Control Laws
Xinhua
1 January 2010
HELSINKI,Finland - Finnish Interior Minister Anne Holmlund said on Saturday that Finland will amend the gun law to tighten control on guns, Finnish media reported on Saturday. A 43-year-old man named Ibrahim Shkupolli, a Kosovo Albanian, shot and killed four employees at Sello shopping center in Espoo, southern Finland, as well as his ex-girlfriend at her home, who was also employed there, and finally himself on Thursday. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Police to Give 2 Weeks Notice Before Inspecting Private Guns in Finland
YLE (Finland)
16 August 2009
New gun control legislation may give police new enforcement powers. The Sunday newspaper supplement Sunnuntaisuomalainen writes that new legislation, under preparation, will allow the police to inspect the homes of gun permit holders without the need to establish suspicion of a crime. However, they will have to inform the permit holder of their intention two weeks in advance. Tougher gun laws being formulated in the wake... ( gunpolicy.org )
Europe, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland
European Countries Tighten Gun Laws But More Needed, Say Experts
Associated Press
12 March 2009
School shootings and other gun crimes have spurred European governments to tighten their gun laws but the measures have been uneven across the continent, experts said Thursday. Dramatic incidents, such as Wednesday's rampage by a 17-year-old gunman who killed 15 people at his former school in Germany, often jolt authorities into action. Finland announced plans Wednesday to impose stricter restrictions on firearms, including... ( gunpolicy.org )
Germany, Europe, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark
Europe Hurries to Tighten Gun Laws After Mass Shooting Attacks
Associated Press
11 March 2009
HELSINKI -- Several European countries have restricted gun laws in the wake of school massacres, gang violence and other gun-related crimes: - Finland announced plans Wednesday to impose stricter restrictions on firearms, including raising the minimum age for handgun ownership from 15 to 20. The proposal was prompted by two school massacres within a year in which lone gunmen opened fire on classmates and teachers. - Germany,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
New Proof of Mental Health Slows Gun Sales, Dealer Profits in Finland
YLE News (Finland)
22 February 2009
The Association of Arms Retailers says that the recent introduction of tighter regulations for firearm permits, in particular the requirement of a mental health certificate from a physician, has severely impacted firearm sales. Merchants are seriously concerned about their businesses. "The requirement for a health certificate in itself has become a economic barrier to legal firearm sales," says Association chairman Pasi... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Firearm Registry Full of Errors, Wrong Numbers Says Finnish Gun Dealer
Helsinki Times / Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
16 November 2008
The national daily Helsingin Sanomat reports that the national weapons register is rife with mistakes and inaccuracies. "The Interior Ministry's weapons register is outdated and highly inaccurate. Many mistakes were made when the register's data was converted from file cards to an electronic registry in 1992. Already before this, White Guard rifles, for example, have been registered with a type number instead of a manufacture number.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Defence Minister, 57,000 Others Sign Petition to Ban Guns in Finland
Agence France Presse
12 November 2008
HELSINKI -- A petition signed by more than 57,000 people demanding a ban on handguns was presented yesterday to the Finnish government, just weeks after the second school massacre in a year sent shockwaves through the Nordic country. The petition, calling for a total ban on private ownership of guns with barrels shorter than 600mm (23.6 inches), was handed over to Interior Minister Anne Holmlund. Finnish Defence Minister... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, Yemen, Switzerland, United States, United Nations
Global Gun Ownership: Finland, Yemen, Switzerland, USA - Keith Krause
Chicago Public Radio, Audio
23 October 2008
Last month, a 22-year-old student walked into his trade school in Finland and opened fire. He killed 10 people before shooting himself. The school massacre was the second Finland experienced in less than a year. Keith Krause is the Program Director of the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project located at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Switzerland. The Small Arms Survey puts... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Shooting Motive Speculation, Gun Control Talk Not Going Far in Finland
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
1 October 2008
As a country, Finland is armed to the teeth. There are more than 1,6 million legal weapons in the weapons register, spread out among nearly 650,000 owners. On a per capita basis we have the fourth largest number of small arms in the world, right after the United States, Yemen, and Switzerland. According to a Swiss estimate, Finland has an estimated 2,375,000 legal and illegal firearms -- that is, one gun for nearly every second... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Shooters Must Now Pass Medical Check, Wait for 1st Handgun in Finland
BBC News
30 September 2008
Finland has introduced stricter rules on gun permits, following a school shooting in which 11 people died. Handgun permits would no longer be granted to first-time applicants, the interior ministry said. Instead, they must train for at least a year at a gun club before being allowed to apply for a permit. All applicants must also provide a note from a doctor about their mental health and sit an interview with police.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
School Shooting Puts Focus on Police Gun Decision, Firearms in Finland
News.com.au
25 September 2008
The officer who questioned but released a Finnish student who went on a murderous rampage a day later has gone on sick leave. "The inspector is now on sick leave," national police commissioner Mikko Paatero said overnight. Mr Paatero's secretary said the policeman, whose name has not been disclosed, had asked to be put on sick leave. The inspector had questioned 22-year-old gunman Matti Saari on Monday after Saari... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, Finland, New Zealand, United States, Australia, Canada, France, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, Austria, Israel, Brazil, Germany
Comparison of Key Handgun Restrictions in 14 Industrialised Countries
Economist
25 September 2008
Finland's government is introducing tougher regulations on handguns following a mass shooting at a school on Tuesday September 23rd, the second in under a year. The country had been among the most lenient in the world, allowing 15-year-olds to keep a handgun under parental supervision, requiring no medical or psychological tests and no minimum wait for those buying weapons. The gun-death rate (whether murder, accident or... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Licensed 'YouTube' Gunman Freed by Police Before Finland Massacre
Times (UK)
24 September 2008
HELSINKI -- The images show a young man, dressed in black, firing his automatic pistol and delivering the chilling warning: "You will die next." The video posted on YouTube alerted police, who detained the student chef on Monday. But he walked free only to carry out his threat. Matti Juhani Saari, 22, went on the rampage at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality yesterday. Ninety minutes later, nine members of his catering... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Licensed Gun Owner Kills 10 in Finland School Shooting Rampage
Sydney Morning Herald
24 September 2008
A student who went on a murderous rampage at a Finnish school on Tuesday, killing 10 people before turning his gun on himself, left behind a note that could explain the tragic act, police said. "We have found a message in his flat, but we will not publish it yet," head of the police investigation Jari Neulaniemi told the YLE public broadcaster. "It might reveal some kind of motive, in his words, for this terrible act,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish Government Readies Handgun Control Bill, Rejects Total Ban
Newsroom Finland / STT, Media release
24 September 2008
The Finnish government said Wednesday that it would hand the first of two handgun control bills to Parliament in the spring. The announcement came a day after a vocational school student killed 10 students and staff in Kauhajoki, echoing a similar tragedy in Jokela less than a year ago. Anne Holmlund (cons), the Finnish interior minister, said the government would pursue tighter handgun controls in two stages but rejected... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finland Once Again Considers Tighter Gun Law After a School Massacre
Xinhua
24 September 2008
STOCKHOLM -- The mass murders in a school shooting Tuesday in the Finnish town of Kauhajoki would lead to changes in the Firearms Act, Finland's Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has said, according to reports reaching here from Helsinki. Addressing a news conference, Vanhanen said he expected a lively debate on gun control, reported Finnish News Agency STT. "It goes without saying that one must analyze carefully what has happened... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finland Bewildered at Deadly School Shootings, Easy Access to Guns
Associated Press
24 September 2008
KAUHAJOKI, Finland -- This sparsely populated nation near the Arctic Circle has long clung to an ethos of rugged individualism where, unlike in most of Western Europe, the right to bear arms is deeply ingrained in the culture. Stunned by the second school massacre in a year, however, Finns are questioning their gun laws and other social problems such as rampant alcoholism and high suicide rates. Leading newspapers splashed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Angry Finland Focuses on Gun Control, 'Wall of Opposition' from Shooters
BBC News
24 September 2008
KAUHAJOKI -- Finns have heard it all before -- authorities promising to tighten the laws on gun control. They heard it last year, after an 18-year-old student went on a shooting spree in a Finnish high school. And they have been hearing it again since Matti Saari killed nine of his colleagues and one teacher in a vocational school here in Kauhajoki. Finland's prime minister has already called for tighter gun controls.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Several Dead as School Shooting Unfolds in Heavily Armed Finland
Associated Press
23 September 2008
HELSINKI, Finland -- Finnish broadcaster YLE is reporting that several people have been fatally shot by a gunman who opened fire at a vocational school. YLE is citing police at the school in Kauhajoki in western Finland. Police could not immediately be reached to confirm the report. They said earlier Tuesday that several people were feared wounded and that the gunman had been disarmed. This is a breaking news update. Check... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Massacre in Finland: PM Says Handguns Should Not Leave Pistol Club
BBC News
23 September 2008
Finland's prime minister has called for gun laws to be tightened after a school shooting that left 11 people dead. Matti Vanhanen said he believed handguns should no longer be used outside shooting ranges. Matti Juhani Saari shot fellow students at a college in western Finland before turning his gun on himself. It emerged that he had been questioned by police after posting on the internet a video clip of himself... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Licensed Finnish Gunman Made Web Videos, Killed 10, Self at School
Associated Press
23 September 2008
KAUHAJOKI, Finland -- A chilling YouTube video with a young man firing a pistol and warning "You will die next" caught the eye of police, who questioned him but then let him go, saying they didn't have enough evidence to take away his weapon. On Tuesday, he walked into a vocational college, the School of Hospitality, and opened fire, killing 10 people and burning their bodies with firebombs before shooting himself fatally in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
High School Gunman Kills Students with 'Automatic Weapon' in Finland
BBC News
23 September 2008
Several people are feared dead, with more injured, after a man opened fire at a college in western Finland. Police said the gunman, thought to be a 20-year-old student, was then disarmed, but local media say he shot himself. He was carrying an automatic weapon and wearing a ski mask when he entered the college in Kauhajoki, reports said. Last November a student shot dead eight people at a school in Tuusula. Gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Gunman Goes on Rampage at Finnish School, Kills Several - Report
Sydney Morning Herald
23 September 2008
A gunman went on a rampage inside a Finnish trade school on Tuesday, killing an unknown number of people, fire officials said amid reports that he had turned his gun on himself. "There are dead people. We have not counted them. It's a big school," local fire department chief Ahti Yli-Mannila told AFP. Police said "many shots" had been fired inside the school, located in the southwestern Finnish town of Kauhajoki, some 360... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Facts, Figures on Finland's Gun Law, Gun Ownership, Gun Death - AP
Associated Press
23 September 2008
Facts and figures about Finland's gun laws and gun ownership. HIGHLY ARMED: Finland has roughly 1.6 million firearms in private hands. The country's 650,000 licensed gun owners -- about 13 percent of the population of 5.2 million -- include hunters, practice shooters and gun collectors. In Europe, only Switzerland comes close to Finland in gun ownership: each member of Switzerland's militia army is allowed to keep his gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Another Finland Gun Club Member Shoots, Kills 10 College Students
Agence France Presse
23 September 2008
KAUHAJOKI, Finland -- A masked student went on the rampage at a Finnish school Tuesday, methodically gunning down 10 people before killing himself, a day after police quizzed him over a chilling YouTube warning. Young women screamed as the 22-year-old shooter stalked the corridors of the vocational college in a ski mask and black outfit letting off round after round at helpless students before starting several fires, witnesses and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Man Kills Two Adult Daughters, His Wife, Then Himself in Finland
Associated Press
15 June 2008
HELSINKI, Finland -- An 88-year-old man on Sunday killed his two disabled adult daughters and shot his bedridden wife before turning the gun on himself in northern Finland, police said. The man's wife, also in her 80s, later died at a hospital, police said. The mentally handicapped daughters, both in their 50s, died immediately from gunshot wounds at home in Ylitornio, about 500 miles north of the capital, Helsinki, police... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Airguns to Be Included in Finland's Gun Law, Owner Licensing Update
YLE News (Finland)
6 June 2008
New rules governing the sale of air guns are being planned by the Ministry of the Interior. A licence would be needed for a type of air rifle, the fire power of which is equivalent to that of a small-bore rifle. The newspaper Turun Sanomat reports the Ministry is worried about the proliferation of small arms. The calibre of larger guns on sale is nine millimetres, which is equivalent to that of arms carried by... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Report on Finland's Campus Mass Shooting Sees Little Hope of Prevention
International Herald Tribune
17 April 2008
TUUSULA, Finland -- Five months after an 18-year-old student killed eight people at a Finnish school before turning the gun on himself, authorities say they can do little to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. A police investigation that wrapped up on Thursday concluded 18-year-old gunman Pekka-Eric Auvinen acted alone in the November 7 shooting. In the days and hours before the massacre the teenager posted messages detailing... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, United States
Young Internet Gunmen, Inspired by Columbine, Conspire to Kill at School
Age (Melbourne)
24 November 2007
Death comes but once everywhere but in cyberspace. Within that virtual world, virtually anything goes. And when it goes, it comes back again. There is no time in this universe. Play, replay. Play, replay. Play, replay. Everyone is a master. In the past generation, two streams have risen from the headwaters of technology, flowed downstream and merged into one: the video game and the internet. Most of the time this can be innocent... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish School Shooter Qualified for His Handgun Simply by Joining a Club
International Herald Tribune, Opinion
16 November 2007
The horror that struck Finland last week was inconceivable, incomprehensible, unbearable. The massacre of children, at school, by their classmate -- no one can make sense of such a calamity. Yet as commentators were quick to point out, the scenario at Jokela High School was grimly familiar. A teenage boy, filled with existential angst and rage, buys a gun, takes it to school and opens fire, killing several people before taking his... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, United States
Internet Link Alleged Between Finland and Philadelphia School Shooting Plots
CNN
12 November 2007
LONDON, England -- Police in Finland are examining Internet material after claims a disturbed teenager who killed eight people in a school shooting may have been in contact with a Philadelphia boy accused of planning a similar shooting spree. Students in Finland returned to school Monday for the first time since the massacre. Around a dozen police officers stood guard as younger students returned to class at a nearby primary... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, United States
Finnish School Killer's Web Chats with Jailed Philadelphia Shooting Plotter
Associated Press
12 November 2007
PHILADELPHIA -- A teenager who admitted plotting a school attack near Philadelphia had communicated online about the Columbine massacre with a teenage outcast who killed eight people and himself in a high school shooting in Finland, the Pennsylvania boy's attorney said Monday. But the teen was "horrified" when he found out about the Finnish attack and said he never would have suspected him of following through with a violent act,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finland Changes Course on EU Gun Rule: Teen Shooters To Be Supervised
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
12 November 2007
The Finnish government decided on Friday to propose a change in the law on firearms, restricting the acquisition of guns by those under the age of 18. Until now guns have been available to children 15 and above with a parent's permission. The decision came on Friday when the government's ministerial committee on European Union affairs discussed the upcoming EU firearms directive. The aim of the directive is to restrict access to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish PM 'Surprised' at Killer's Easy Gun Access, Mulls Tougher Controls
Reuters
11 November 2007
HELSINKI -- Gun policies will be reviewed in Finland after its deadliest school shooting where a student shot eight people, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said on Sunday. Pekka-Eric Auvinen, who killed six fellow students, two staff members and himself on Wednesday at the Jokela high school, obtained a licence for a .22 calibre handgun through a gun club last month. "It was an unfortunate surprise for me that one can get... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish PM Seeks Firearm Regulation Probe After School Gun Massacre
International Herald Tribune / AP
11 November 2007
HELSINKI, Finland -- Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has called for an investigation of the country's firearms regulations following a shooting in which an 18-year old student killed eight people and himself, he said Sunday. Vanhanen told Radio Suomi he wanted to see whether it is possible to prohibit licensed owners from bringing guns home with them from shooting clubs. He suggested firearms could be kept instead... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Finland
Finnish Killer's Internet Contact With US Columbine Fans 'Highly Probable'
Times (UK)
10 November 2007
TUUSULA, Finland -- The YouTube killer who shot dead eight members of his school in Finland before turning his gun on himself had internet contacts with an American teenager who was planning a shooting spree in a high school in Philadelphia, it was claimed yesterday. The disclosure could turn upside down previous assumptions about the dynamics of school massacres. Until now, teenage killers were regarded as depressed loners whose... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, United Nations
American, Western Youth Gun Culture Must Be Nipped in the Bud
Khaleej Times (Dubai), Editorial
10 November 2007
The school shooting incident in the Finnish village of Jokela where an 18-year-old killed eight people, including the principal, before taking his own life is yet another reminder of the dangers of gun culture among youth and how it is becoming a mounting international concern with time. Surprisingly for a peace loving country like Finland, it has the third highest per capita gun ownership statistics in the world. And as numerous... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Schoolboy's Shooting Spree Triggers Calls for Greater Gun Control in Finland
Guardian (UK)
9 November 2007
JOKELA -- Candle flames flickered in kitchen windows across a chilly Finland last night as the country of 5 million people learned more details about the school massacre carried out by a student who felt himself cast out and bullied by his fellow pupils. Police investigating the midday rampage that left nine dead on Wednesday said the 18-year-old gunman, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, had been bent on exacting maximum damage. A 25-year-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, Europe
In Wake of School Shooting, Finland Drops Objection to EU Gun Control Rule
YLE News (Helsinki)
9 November 2007
HELSINKI, Finland -- Finland has stopped opposing moves for changes in the European Union directive on firearms. On Friday the government said that it is ready to accept the proposal by Portugal; the Grand Committee of the Finnish Parliament gave its endorsement to the move. The full Parliament is expected to vote on the matter in the coming weeks. The turnaround is seen to be linked with the aftermath of the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Gun Clubs A Social Fixture, Right to Bear Arms Deeply Ingrained in Finland
Washington Post Foreign Service
9 November 2007
HELSINKI -- Deep inside a mothballed nuclear fallout shelter in this Nordic capital city, the sound of muffled pistol fire thumps through the walls. About a half-dozen Finns -- including a young blond man and a briefcase-toting businessman on his way home from work -- don ear protection and line up at the cash register to buy cardboard targets. Before long, they're at the firing line, blasting away. The right to bear arms is deeply... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, Europe
Finland Set to Tighten Gun Control, Harmonise Minimum Age with EU Limit
CNN / AP
9 November 2007
HELSINKI, Finland -- Finland is ready to raise the minimum age for buying firearms from 15 to 18, officials said Friday, as a teenage killer's deadly school rampage brought focus on the hunting-prone nation's gun laws. "It's obvious that this kind of tragic incident has probably sped up the decision," Interior Ministry spokesman Ilkka Salmi said. In Finland, with world's third highest rate of gun ownership behind the United... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, Europe
Finland Moves to Tighten Gun Laws: Minors Should Have Adult Present
BBC News
9 November 2007
Finland's government is planning to tighten gun laws after nine people were killed in a school shooting spree. Under the plan, minors would be banned from buying guns but would be allowed to use them under adult supervision. Currently, 15-year-olds can buy guns with parental permission. Finland has the world's third highest rate of gun ownership according to a recent survey. A student, 18, killed eight people and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finland Has 'Serious Gun Problem,' Says Group: Govt Defends Weapon Law
Associated Press
9 November 2007
HELSINKI, Finland -- A teenage killer's deadly school rampage has put Finns on the defensive about their relationship to guns. With 1.6 million firearms in private hands, the Nordic nation is an anomaly in Europe, lagging behind only the U.S. and Yemen in civilian gun ownership, studies show. The government said Friday it would raise the minimum age for buying guns from 15 to 18, but insisted there was no need for sweeping... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, Europe
Finland 'Has Reason to Regret' Opposing EU Age Limits for Gun Ownership
Courrier International (Paris) / Göteborgs-Posten (Sweden), Editorial
9 November 2007
An 18-year-old killed nine people and injured 12 in a massacre at the Jokela secondary school in Tuusula, Finland. The Swedish newspaper [Göteborgs-Posten] criticises Finland's gun laws, which allow 15-year-olds to obtain a gun license. It points out that 38,000 teenagers can therefore purchase a firearm at their local arms dealer. "It's an oversimplification to lay the blame on the internet and violent films. Sickness,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, Europe
Calls for Tighter Gun Laws as Finns Mourn School Massacre Victims
Independent (UK)
9 November 2007
Finland is under pressure to tighten its gun laws after an 18-year-old student shot dead eight people at his school before turning his gun on himself. The massacre has shaken the nation of hunters which has never seen the need for security in its schools. When the European Union proposed raising the legal age for possessing a firearm to 18 earlier this year, there were protests from Finland, which argued that hunting was a popular... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
After School Shooting, Finland Agrees to Accept EU Minimum Gun Age Rule
Reuters
9 November 2007
HELSINKI -- Finland said on Friday it would tighten gun policies after an 18-year-old killed six fellow students and two staff members with a handgun this week in the country's deadliest school shooting. The Nordic country had resisted European Union plans to limit gun ownership to those 18 years or older across the continent. Finns as young as 15 have had the right to own and use a gun. "Finland has changed its position... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Student Pistol Shooter Kills Eight, Wounds 12 in Finnish School Massacre
Agence France Presse
8 November 2007
A teenager at a school in Finland shot dead eight people today, having first signalled his intentions in a video posted on YouTube. Police identified 18-year-old Pekka-Eric Auvinen as the killer and said he was in a "critical condition" after turning the gun on himself following the massacre at Jokela High School in the small town of Tuusula. "The gunman aimed his weapon at his head and fired," a police spokesman said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
'Revolution. Smash Everything'. Then Eight Were Killed by Finnish Gunman
Guardian (UK)
8 November 2007
Seven teenagers were killed when an 18-year-old student went on a rampage at his school in southern Finland after announcing the bloodbath with a posting on the internet site YouTube. The murderer, named by police as Pekka-Eric Auvinen, then shot himself in the head and died in hospital last night. He killed eight people, including his headteacher, after moving from classroom to classroom and spraying them with gunfire at the secondary... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
In Wake of School Massacre, Finnish Govt Defends Permissive Gun Laws
NewsRoom Finland
8 November 2007
The Finnish interior ministry said Thursday, the day after an upper secondary school pupil shot dead eight people in his school, that the acquisition of firearms was strictly controlled in the country. "The police grant permits only after careful consideration. The police establish, for example, whether the person is suitable to possess a firearm and whether the firearm is suitable for the purpose given by the applicant," the ministry... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Guns Common, Easy to Get in Finland: Schoolboy Mass Killer Joined a Club
Sydney Morning Herald / Reuters / AFP
8 November 2007
Finland's accommodating gun laws are likely to attract criticism after an 18-year-old gunman shot dead seven children and a school principal. About 56 of every 100 Finns own a gun according to a study by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies this year, putting the rate of firearm ownership in Finland third after the United States and Yemen. The government has said Finland's low crime rate meant there... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finns Mourn Victims of School Killing, US Pundit Fears Copycat Shootings
Associated Press
8 November 2007
TUUSULA, Finland -- An 18-year-old gunman who killed seven other students and the principal before mortally wounding himself in a rampage was a social outcast who was "bullied in school," a senior police official said Thursday. Investigators said the gunman, identified as Pekka-Eric Auvinen, shot himself in the head after the shooting spree Wednesday at Jokela High School in Tuusula, some 30 miles north of the capital, Helsinki.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish School Shooter Was Given Licence, Pistol After 1 Hour at Gun Club
YLE Radio Finland
8 November 2007
At a press conference, police said Auvinen had acted alone. They described him as a lonely individual with extreme opinions. Chief Inspector of the National Bureau of Investigation Rabbe von Hertzen said the perpetrator had chosen his victims at random, all of whom have now been identified. They were six of the high school's students, the school principal and school nurse. The victims had sustained injuries to the upper body and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish School Killer Used Legally Owned Sig Sauer .22cal Semi-auto Pistol
Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki)
8 November 2007
A deep sense of sorrow and shock descended over Finland on Wednesday after eight pupils and staff died in a shooting spree at the Jokela school in the municipality of Tuusula north of Helsinki. The shooting is the most serious crime of violence ever committed in a Finnish school. The gunman, identified as 18-year-old Pekka-Eric Auvinen, a student at the upper secondary school, began shooting indiscriminately before noon... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, Europe
Finnish School Killer Imported Shooting Script from Columbine, Virginia Tech
Washington Post
8 November 2007
TUUSULA, Finland -- A teenager who called himself "a natural predator" shot and killed seven of his classmates and the principal inside a public high school here Wednesday, police said, one day after posting a video on YouTube in which he foreshadowed a massacre. The midday attack, which ended with the 18-year-old gunman taking his own life, jolted this Scandinavian country of 5.3 million people. A nation of hunters and sportsmen,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, Europe
School Shooting, Easy Weapons Put Harsh Focus on Finland Gun Policy
Reuters
7 November 2007
HELSINKI -- Finland's accommodating gun laws are likely to attract criticism after an 18-year-old gunman shot dead seven children and a school principal on Wednesday. The shooter turned the gun on himself and later died in hospital. There are 56 guns for every 100 Finns, according to a study by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies this year, putting the rate of firearm ownership in Finland third after the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Licensed Pistol Club Member Kills Eight in Finnish School Shooting Spree
Associated Press
7 November 2007
TUUSULA, Finland -- An 18-year-old gunman opened fire at his high school in this placid town in southern Finland on Wednesday, killing seven other students and the principal before mortally wounding himself in a rampage that stunned a nation where gun crime is rare. Police were analyzing YouTube postings that appeared to anticipate the massacre, including clips in which a young man calls for revolution and apparently prepares for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish Student Joined Gun Club to Get Pistol, Shot 8, Killed Himself
Bloomberg (USA)
7 November 2007
Seven schoolchildren and their principal were killed when a student opened fire in a town near Helsinki, in the deadliest shooting in Finland's history. The gunman shot himself in the head and died later in hospital. The 18-year-old student, identified by police as Pekka-Eric Auvinen, started shooting with a handgun during lessons yesterday at the Jokela secondary school in Tuusula, killing five boys and two girls as well as the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish School Student Posted Plans on YouTube Before Shooting 8 Dead
Irish Times
7 November 2007
An 18-year-old Finnish youth died in hospital last night hours after shooting dead seven of his schoolmates and his head teacher. Earlier, he had announced the bloodbath with a posting on the internet site YouTube. The shootings, in the municipality of Tuusula, 30km north of Helsinki, have shocked Finland. Despite having the world's third highest per capita gun ownership, there is a low rate of gun crime, and school shootings were... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finland Shocked at Fatal School Shooting: Country Has High Gun Ownership
BBC News
7 November 2007
HELSINKI -- The Finnish village of Jokela, where an 18-year-old gunman killed eight people and himself at a high school on Wednesday, was quiet as night fell, with friends and family of the dead and injured in deep shock. Candles could be seen burning in many windows -- a Finnish traditional mark of respect for the dead. "This is a peaceful place, nothing like this has happened and nothing like this is to be expected either,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Firearm Licensing Criteria to Be Unified Under Finnish Law
YLE News / Helsingin Sanomat
8 July 2007
The newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reports that there are plans underway in the Ministry of the Interior to implement uniform criteria for the granting of gun licences. Practice has varied considerably from one police precinct to another. Finnish gun enthusiasts have been found to share information about which local police are more likely to grant gun licences for various purposes. However, licences are always granted by the local... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa, Finland
Finland Finances West Africa's War Against Gun Running, Armed Violence
People's Daily (Beijing)
1 September 2006
Finland has provided 750,000 euros (about 900,000 U.S. dollars) to aid the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) war against the proliferation of small arms. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on Wednesday by ECOWAS Executive Secretary Mohammed Ibn Chambas and Finish envoy to Nigeria Anna-Lisa Korhonen, the grant will be spread over three years with the first tranche to be paid this year. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Interior Ministry Investigation Into Exploding Sako Rifles
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
5 February 2005
The internal inspection unit of the Ministry of the Interior is to investigate whether or not the Sako hunting rifles taken off the market by the manufacturer had undergone proper inspection by officials. Last year about 2,700 rifles manufactured at the Sako factory in Riihimäki were found to have a dangerous defect. Because of faulty raw materials, some of the guns have exploded while being fired. The report is to be... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Sako Rifle Causes More Injuries Than Maker Reported
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
19 January 2005
Defective hunting rifles manufactured by the Finnish company Sako have injured a total of three people. In each case, the gun exploded as the user was firing the weapon. On Friday, Sako CEO Henry Paasikivi insisted that only one person, a Swede, had been injured. Paasikivi failed to mention the case of Nicklas Törnkvist, a 31-year-old hunter from Helsinki, whom he had personally met at least twice. Törnkvist... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, United States
Sako Recalls Faulty Hunting Rifles
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
17 January 2005
The Finnish hunting rifle manufacturer Sako has recalled nearly 3,000 of its guns with a potential defect that could cause it to break apart when fired. In October, Mark Almeida, a 45-year-old American living in University Place, Washington, suffered injuries to his hand when his new Sako 300 Winchester Short Mag Finnlight model rifle exploded while he was shooting at a firing range. "The target was 200 yards away when I pulled... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland, United States
Living With a Gun Enthusiast from the American Heartland
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
27 April 2003
A tall, stout man about 20 years of age appears in the doorway of the study of the student dorm. He is wearing a cowboy hat, a long coat of oilcloth familiar from a cigarette advertisement, and a pair of cowboy boots. The outfit is not unusual in winter Montana -- not even at the University of Montana. In his arms the man carried a 30-inch television. He did not seem very self-confident when he walked in, but he tried to put on... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Helsinki Amnesty Yields Firearms, Explosives
Agence France Presse
20 November 2001
HELSINKI -- Police in Helsinki collected 463 firearms and more than one tonne of illegal fireworks and other explosives from the civilian population under a four-day amnesty last week, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. During the Friday-Monday period, residents of the Finnish capital could hand in unregistered weapons without being asked any questions and with no threat of prosecution. The firearms collected included 260 handguns,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Finnish Man Shoots Grouse, Kills His Brother 2km Away
Reuters
11 October 1999
HELSINKI -- A Finnish hunter killed his brother in a freak accident when a bullet from his gun pierced a grouse and hit the brother two kilometres away, Ilta-Sanomat newspaper reported on Monday. The paper said the 23-year-old hunter aimed at a grouse sitting in a tree while the rest of his party cooked sausages over a camp fire two km away in a forest on Sunday. The 18-year-old brother was hit in the back by the bullet... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Three Shot Dead in Finland Shooting Club
Reuters
21 February 1999
HELSINKI -- Three people were shot dead and one was injured in a shooting club in central Helsinki on Sunday afternoon, Finnish STT news agency reported. Police were searching for a woman who is thought to have shot the victims in the head, STT said. Investigating police officers were not immediately available for comment, and a police spokeswoman was unable to confirm the report. The mostly residential area was... ( gunpolicy.org )
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