Austria Moves to Tighten Gun Laws After Deadly School Shooting – The New York Times
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Austria plans stricter gun laws following deadly school shooting
Austria to raise minimum age for obtaining a gun permit from 21 to 25. The psychological test required for permits will be made more stringent. The “cooling-off phase” for all weapon purchases will be extended to four weeks. The gunman, a former pupil at the school in the city of Graz, legally owned the two firearms used in the attack: a shotgun and a Glock pistol. The shooter, identified by Austrian media as Arthur A., failed the psychological test that is part of the screening for military service, but the armed forces are not currently allowed to share that information.
Austria’s government has announced plans to significantly tighten its gun control regulations following the country’s worst school shooting, which saw a 21-year-old kill 10 people before taking his own life.
The conservative-led administration confirmed the measures on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting.
The gunman, a former pupil at the school in the southern city of Graz, legally owned the two firearms used in the attack: a shotgun and a Glock pistol.
Under existing laws, a shotgun can be purchased by any adult not prohibited from owning weapons, following a three-working-day waiting period.
The Glock pistol, however, requires a gun permit, for which individuals must be 21 or older and pass a psychological test.
In response to the tragedy, the government intends to raise the minimum age for obtaining a gun permit from 21 to 25.
Furthermore, the psychological test required for permits will be made more stringent, and the “cooling-off phase” for all weapon purchases will be extended to four weeks.
Under current rules in Austria, a shotgun can be bought by any adult who has not been banned from owning weapons, after a wait of three working days. (Associated Press)
“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,” Chancellor Christian Stocker told a joint press conference with the leaders of the two other parties in the ruling coalition.
“Today’s cabinet decision shows that we are fulfilling that responsibility,” he said.
The school shooter, identified by Austrian media as Arthur A., failed the psychological test that is part of the screening for military service, but the armed forces are not currently allowed to share that information.
The government plans to ensure such information is shared and taken into account in applications for gun permits, it said in a statement issued after the press conference.
Newly issued gun permits will also expire after eight years, it added.
The government said it planned to introduce a separate gun permit for those under 25 that would apply to the category of weapons that includes the shotgun the shooter used, but a spokesman said details were still being ironed out.
Beyond gun ownership rules, the government plans to increase psychological counselling and monitoring at schools as well as ensure a greater police presence in front of schools until the end of the school year, Stocker said.
Austria plans tighter gun laws after deadly Graz school shooting
Lawmakers could raise the minimum age for gun buyers, Chancellor Christian Stocker told ORF radio. He also called for the psychological tests required for people seeking a gun licence to be made more stringent. Comments come ahead of government plans to adopt a set of measures next week.
Lawmakers could raise the minimum age for gun buyers, Chancellor Christian Stocker told ORF radio. He also called for the psychological tests required for people seeking a gun licence to be made more stringent.
His comments come ahead of government plans to adopt a set of measures next week, after Tuesday’s bloodshed.
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A 21-year-old Austrian man shot and killed nine teenagers and a teacher at his former school with a pistol and a sawed-off shotgun, before killing himself.
He held both weapons legally. In Austria, there are almost no barriers to getting a shotgun. The man had acquired the gun licence necessary for holding the pistol after passing a psychological test.
But it later emerged that he had been rejected for military service in 2021 due to mental instability.
Austria plans to tighten gun control rules after school shooting
Austria plans to tighten its gun control rules after a 21-year-old killed 10 people then killed himself in the country’s worst school shooting by far. The gunman, a former pupil at the school in the southern city of Graz, owned the two firearms he used in his rampage, a shotgun and a Glock pistol, legally. The government said it would raise the minimum age for a gun permit to 25 from 21, make the psychological test more stringent and increase the “cooling off phase” for all weapons to four weeks.
VIENNA, June 18 (Reuters) – Austria plans to tighten its gun control rules after a 21-year-old killed 10 people then killed himself in the country’s worst school shooting by far, the conservative-led government said on Wednesday.
The gunman, a former pupil at the school in the southern city of Graz, owned the two firearms he used in his rampage, a shotgun and a Glock pistol, legally.
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Under the current rules, the shotgun can be bought by any adult who has not been banned from owning weapons, after a wait of three working days. The Glock requires a gun permit, for which one must be 21 or over and pass a psychological test.
After a cabinet meeting, the government said it would raise the minimum age for a gun permit to 25 from 21, make the psychological test more stringent and increase the “cooling off phase” for all weapons to four weeks.
“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,” Chancellor Christian Stocker told a joint press conference with the leaders of the two other parties in the ruling coalition.
“Today’s cabinet decision shows that we are fulfilling that responsibility,” he said.
The school shooter, identified by Austrian media as Arthur A., failed the psychological test that is part of the screening for military service, but the armed forces are not currently allowed to share that information.
The government plans to ensure such information is shared and taken into account in applications for gun permits, it said in a statement issued after the press conference. Newly issued gun permits will also expire after eight years, it added.
The government said it planned to introduce a separate gun permit for those under 25 that would apply to the category of weapons that includes the shotgun the shooter used, but a spokesman said details were still being ironed out.
Beyond gun ownership rules, the government plans to increase psychological counselling and monitoring at schools as well as ensure a greater police presence in front of schools until the end of the school year, Stocker said.
Reporting by Francois Murphy, Editing by Louise Heavens
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