Sweden Will Tighten Its Gun Laws After A Gunman Killed 10 People In The Country’s Worst Mass Shooting
The government said it would push for a stricter vetting process for people applying for gun licenses and limit access to some weapons, particularly the AR-15.
After a gunman killed 10 people at a public school in the worst mass shooting in Sweden’s history, the Swedish government has announced plans to tighten gun laws.
The shooting took place on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at around noon in Örebro, a city 160 km west of Stockholm, at Campus Risbergska, with a gunman killing seven women and three men aged between 28 and 68, the BBC reported.
Swedish media identified the gunman, who also likely killed himself, as a 35-year-old man named Rickard Andersson.
Police haven’t identified the weapon used in the attack but said there were three rifles at the site licensed to Andersson which were found near his body, Reuters reported.
The government said on Friday, Feb. 8 that it would push for a stricter vetting process for people applying for gun licenses and limit access to some weapons, particularly the AR-15, a semi-automatic lightweight rifle that has been involved in several mass shootings in the US and has been allowed in Sweden for hunting purposes since 2023.
Under current Swedish law, anyone over 18 can apply for a permit for a shotgun, handgun or semi-automatic rifle.
They just need to justify to the police why they need a gun and not have a criminal record.
The vetting process will focus on applicants' age, knowledge of firearms, proficiency, criminal background and medical history.
Sweden’s prime minister Ulf Kristersson said that they have to “ensure that only the right people have guns in Sweden.”
Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Reuters that while it was not clear what kind of weapon was used in the Örebro shooting, banning AR-15 weapons would be a “preventative measure.”
Police have yet to publicly identify all the victims but say they are investigating a possible racist motive as people of several nationalities, including Syrians, were killed in the attack, according to the Guardian.
A 2017 Swiss study found that there were about 2.3 million guns held by civilians in Sweden, according to Reuters.
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Isha Jain
Sofia Hou
Isha Jain
