A boy shot and killed a 12-year-old student and injured two others at a school in Finland on Tuesday, police said. It was a rare act of violence by a child in a country that has changed its gun laws after previous school shootings, but gun ownership remains widespread.
Police said they took the 12-year-old suspect, who was also in possession of a handgun, into custody about an hour after he arrived at Viertra School in the city of Vantaa, about 10 miles north of Helsinki. He is charged with murder and attempted murder, police said.
As is customary in Finnish criminal investigations, police did not release the suspect's name.
“As a society, we have learned from previous sad school shootings,” National Police Chief Seppo Kolemainen said at a press conference, but added: “In this sad case, we will stop this act. I couldn't do it,” he added.
“You'll see why later,” he said.
Finland tightened its gun laws after two school shootings in 2007 and 2008 that left 20 people dead, including the gunman. The shootings have sparked a heated debate over firearms laws in a nation of hunters and gun enthusiasts.
Legislation introduced in 2011 raises the age limit for acquiring a handgun to 20, requires applicants to pass a suitability test, and requires a doctor to report if a person is deemed unfit to own a gun. This requirement has also been added.
However, Finland remains one of the countries with the highest firearm ownership rates in Europe, according to the 2018 Small Arms Survey conducted by the Geneva School of International Studies.
Under Finnish law, firearms permits can only be granted to those who can demonstrate an “acceptable purpose” and who are deemed fit based on their health and behavior.
It is unclear how the student in Tuesday's shooting obtained the handgun, but police said it was granted to a close relative of the suspect.
Valtteri Manila, a Vantaa resident whose brother attends the school, who was in the schoolyard with friends after Tuesday's shooting, told Finnish state broadcaster Yell: He enters the school with a gun. ”
According to the World Population Review, Finland has a higher rate of firearm-related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants than other Nordic countries, but the number is still much lower than the United States.
Jukka Savolainen, a Finnish professor of criminology at Wayne State University in Detroit, believes that Finland's high rate of gun ownership has more to do with the country's hunting culture and sporting habits than a need for self-defense. He said there was.
Kinmo Nuotio, a professor of criminal law at the University of Helsinki, said Finland has no “right to bear laws” and there are strict restrictions on how firearms can be stored.
“Why were the guns kept in such a way that even a small person could easily get them?” he asked.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a news conference that “the shooting at Viertra school is so shocking that it leaves us speechless,” especially considering the young age of the attacker and the victim.