10 hours ago
Austria plans stricter gun laws following deadly school shooting
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.
"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.
