Sweden's right-wing government said yesterday it would seek to tighten gun laws after the country's deadliest mass shooting, which took place at an adult education center, where the gunman apparently used several of his registered rifles.
Ten people were killed at the Rysbergska Campus in Orebro on Tuesday before the man believed to be the gunman, identified by a Reuters source and Swedish media as Rikard Andersson, a 35-year-old Swedish loner, committed suicide.
Police said yesterday that identification had been completed and that seven women and four men, aged between 28 and 68, including the suspect, had died, Reuters reported. They have not yet released the names of the victims or the perpetrator, or the nationalities of the victims.
The Guardian reported that a Syrian, an Eritrean and an Iranian were among the victims, and that police were investigating whether the shooting was racially motivated.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson said the event had sparked fear and a sense of vulnerability among many people of immigrant background in Sweden, calling on everyone to "unite behind everything we hold dear."
The government also said it wants to strengthen the exchange of information between the police and the National Board of Health and Social Protection regarding people who should not own weapons for medical reasons.
The government has agreed with its far-right allies in parliament to tighten the vetting process for people applying for a gun permit and to introduce stricter measures for certain semi-automatic rifles.
She stated that the AR-15, an assault rifle based on a military design that has been used in many mass shootings in the United States, is the type of weapon she wants to ban.
Justice Minister Gunnar Stromer told Reuters that it was not yet clear what weapon was used in the Orebro attack and that banning AR-15s would be a "preventive measure."
"We know that this type of weapon, with certain modifications, can become very dangerous and also that it has been used in similar shootings in other countries," he added.
AR-15 rifles have been allowed for hunting since 2023, and Stromer said about 3.500 permits for the weapon have been issued since then.
The government also said it wanted to strengthen the exchange of information between the police and the National Board of Health and Social Care regarding people who should not own weapons for medical reasons.
"We must ensure that only appropriate people have weapons in Sweden," Prime Minister Kristerson told reporters.
Sweden's main opposition party, the Social Democrats, welcomed the decision but called for even stricter checks and controls. "There is a time before and after February 4," Social Democrat MP Tereza Carvalho told a press conference.
Police did not specify what weapons were used in the attack, saying only that three rifles registered to the suspected killer were found next to his body. Local media reported that he had a hunting license.
The attack has also raised questions about whether security in Swedish schools should be tightened. Unlike in many other countries, schools in Sweden are largely considered semi-public spaces and rarely have any control over who can enter or leave, Reuters writes.
The government is considering accelerating the passage of a law already in parliament that would allow schools to more easily install surveillance cameras, Justice Minister Stromer said on Thursday.
Police said the suspect, who has not yet been officially identified, had licenses for four guns and that investigators found three weapons next to his body, along with 10 empty ammunition magazines and large amounts of unused ammunition.
Reuters writes that Sweden has a high level of gun ownership by European standards, although significantly lower than in the U.S. It adds that most guns are legally owned for hunting purposes, but that a wave of gang-related crime has pointed to a large presence of illegal firearms.
Data from 2017, published by a Swiss research institute, showed that the civilian population in Sweden owns about 2,3 million guns. That's about 23 guns per 100 people, compared to 120 in the US and 4,6 in the UK.
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