June 18, 2025, saw the Austrian government unveiling new proposals to reform gun ownership laws, just one week after a horrific school shooting in Graz left nine students and a teacher dead. The proposed measures, which are gaining immediate attention, include significant changes to the regulations surrounding private firearm ownership.
Chancellor Christian Stocker addressed the nation, expressing the shared grief in the wake of this tragedy. “Nothing we do… will bring back the 10 people we lost last Tuesday,” he said, while emphasizing the commitment to learn from such a devastating event.
The new proposals involve raising the minimum age for ownership of certain firearms, including handguns, from 21 to 25 years. The government also intends to enhance the existing mandatory psychological assessments necessary to purchase a firearm and mandate a minimum waiting period of four weeks between purchase and the physical delivery of the weapon. To improve oversight, there will be efforts to streamline the sharing of psychological assessment results among various government agencies.
Investigations reveal that the shooter, identified only as a 21-year-old former student of the Graz school, committed suicide at the scene. Eyewitness accounts indicate that he had expressed antisocial tendencies and failed a psychological evaluation necessary for military service. Despite this, he legally acquired a modified Glock pistol and a shotgun, raising concerns over the loopholes in the existing gun laws.
The motive behind the tragic shooting remains unclear, although officials noted the shooter's admiration for previous school shootings and their perpetrators, heightening the urgency to reassess gun control measures in Austria.
Chancellor Christian Stocker addressed the nation, expressing the shared grief in the wake of this tragedy. “Nothing we do… will bring back the 10 people we lost last Tuesday,” he said, while emphasizing the commitment to learn from such a devastating event.
The new proposals involve raising the minimum age for ownership of certain firearms, including handguns, from 21 to 25 years. The government also intends to enhance the existing mandatory psychological assessments necessary to purchase a firearm and mandate a minimum waiting period of four weeks between purchase and the physical delivery of the weapon. To improve oversight, there will be efforts to streamline the sharing of psychological assessment results among various government agencies.
Investigations reveal that the shooter, identified only as a 21-year-old former student of the Graz school, committed suicide at the scene. Eyewitness accounts indicate that he had expressed antisocial tendencies and failed a psychological evaluation necessary for military service. Despite this, he legally acquired a modified Glock pistol and a shotgun, raising concerns over the loopholes in the existing gun laws.
The motive behind the tragic shooting remains unclear, although officials noted the shooter's admiration for previous school shootings and their perpetrators, heightening the urgency to reassess gun control measures in Austria.
