Sweden is tightening gun security after a mass shooting at an adult education center. Suspected perpetrator Rickard Anderrson was believed to have used several of his own licensed rifles to commit the shooting. 7 women and 4 men lost their lives on February 4th at Örebro, Sweden. These victims included several people who fled Syria to come to Sweden. However, police have not found any evidence of there being an ideological motive behind the mass shooting. Prime Minister Ulf Kristerrson released a statement that told the people of Sweden to unite “and stand behind all that we hold dear together”. In a social media post, he said that “My thoughts are with the relatives who have now received the call that is the worst one can get. To you, I want to say: you are not alone. We stand beside you”. Taking steps to prevent further shootings, the government wants to tighten the vetting process for gun licenses. They also want to clamp down on semi-automatic weapons. Justice Minister Gunner Strommer has indicated that the government wants to ban Ar-15 as a “preventive measure”. He continued that these weapons with some modifications would be very dangerous to the general public. This semi-automatic weapon has been permitted for hunting since 2023 with around 3,500 people having a license to carry them. The Social Democrats, a political party in Sweden, have called for the vetting to be more far-reaching. Police have not identified what weapons were used in the attack, only specifying that three rifles were found in the suspected perpetrator’s body, who killed himself after the mass shooting. However, local media have reported that he had a hunting license. These hunting licenses have caused Sweden’s high gun ownership rate in European standards as most legal weapons have been given out for hunting reasons. Sweden has 23 guns per 100 people, which compared to the United Kingdom’s 4.6 guns per 100 people, is quite high. This has caused an increasing number of shootings in recent years.
Swedish People have also begun to question the security in place of education in Sweden. In Sweden, schools are considered as semi-public spaces that make it so that there is no control over who can go in and out. This has caused the government to try and speed up legislation that would allow schools to more easily install security cameras. This attack has left the people of Sweden in mourning.
This mass shooting raises the question of who commits these types of mass shootings. Studies show that the type of people who commit school shootings are usually adolescents. These people were often middle class who attends or attended a suburban high school. These people were often described by peers and teachers as socially awkward people who did not have many friends. They were also bullied whether in person or in person. These school shooters were often bullied so badly that it is assumed that these shootings were committed as revenge and retaliation. These individuals also often lack coping skills and are impulsive. Demographically, Brookings says that 95% of shooters are male and 61% are caucasian. They feel rejected and insignificant. Half of these shooters also display several psychological problems such as depression, suicidal ideation, psychotic episodes, and bipolar disorder. Sometimes, they also suffered a traumatic experience right before committing the shooting. They also display a fascination with violence. They play violent video games, watch violent movies, and read violent books. Brookings also speculates that the continued exposure to violence has “desensitize[d] individuals to violence and provide[d] ideas that are then copied in the school shootings”.
What can be done about these school shootings? School administrators need to crack down on bullying which would cause less people to feel socially ostracized. Students need to feel like they matter to people ,so they don’t feel isolated. According to Brooks, they say more can be done to keep guns out of the hands of youth as over half of the shooters stole the gun that was used in the shooting from a family member. Lastly, people just need to pay attention to their surroundings. Studies show that many shooters actually will reveal their plains beforehand yet people will ignore these warning signals. We need to create an environment where we can prevent these school shootings.
Written by Samarth Irani
Written by Samarth Irani
