EU-DIGEST

Dec 31, 2009

Finland: Six dead in mall shooting - gun control laws in Findland not up to EU standards

Finnish police have confirmed they have found the body of a gunman responsible for killing five people in a shooting rampage in the southern city of Espoo.

Investigators said 43-year-old Ibrahim Shkupolli shot dead three men and a woman with a 9mm pistol at a grocery shop inside the Sello shopping centre.

One of the shop's employees, Shkupolli's ex-girlfriend, was later found dead at a flat in the city.

For the complete report: BBC News - Police account of Finland mall shooting

Labels: EU, Finland, Gun Control

6:09 PM | Permalink | | links to this post

Mar 12, 2009

WSJ: Shooting Likely to Renew Gun Debate in Europe - by David Crawford

For the complete report from the WSJ.com click on this link

Shooting Likely to Renew Gun Debate in Europe - by David Crawford

Wednesday's fatal shooting in a southern German school is likely to stoke fresh debate about gun control and public security in Europe, a continent less accustomed to the kind of random violence that shook Alabama a day before.Juergen Roth, a German-parliament advisor who helped prepared Germany's strict gun-control legislation in 2003, says German lawmakers across party lines believe Germany's gun laws are adequate, but need better enforcement. Germany's gun laws were strengthened in 2003, a year after a 19-year-old student killed 16 victims and himself at a school in Erfurt, Germany. The law requires gun owners to securely lock their weapons.

While less common than in the U.S., mass shootings are not unheard of in Europe -- where gun control laws are relatively tighter.

Note EU-Digest: Private ownership of guns needs to be tightened to the extreme in order to avoid drama's like we had today in Germany, and to give organized crime as little as possible flexibility in the use of firearms.

Labels: EU, Gun Control

12:03 AM | Permalink | | links to this post

Jun 2, 2008

Globe and Mail: The league of extraordinary mayors: small states, big progressive ideas - by Richard Florida

globeandmail.com: The league of extraordinary mayors: small states, progressive ideas

This week, the mayor of Canada's biggest city did something remarkable: He basically declared war on firearms. In response to several highly publicized shootings, David Miller announced that he wants Toronto's City Council to crack down on gun clubs, firing ranges and businesses that manufacture, assemble and distribute weapons.

“Do we as a society value safety, or do we value a hobby that creates danger?” he asked. “That hobby directly results in people being shot and killed on the streets of our city.”

Not surprisingly, Mr. Miller's bold move has generated a great deal of controversy. At the same time, it reflects a growing trend in the world's major cities.

Just as he is taking the lead in trying to control guns, figures such as Michael Bloomberg in New York City, Richard Daley in Chicago, Job Cohen in Amsterdam and Ken Livingstone, the former mayor of London, have explored new approaches to everything from education, crime and smoking bans to environment and climate change – even bringing modern management techniques to government. While there remains more work to do, their efforts and those of their peers have made their jurisdictions safer, smarter, greener, more aesthetic, more efficient, wealthier and more globally competitive.

Overall, these mayors, as well as premiers and governors, are proving themselves to be much more in tune with global trends than are heads of state and national leaders.

Labels: Gun Control

10:40 PM | Permalink | | links to this post

Nov 12, 2007

ABC News: More dead as Finnish school shooting ends: Finland is an anomaly in Europe. It falls behind only the U.S. and Yemen in gun ownership

For the complete report from the ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)click on this link

More dead as Finnish school shooting ends:Finland is an anomaly in Europe. It falls behind only the U.S. and Yemen in gun ownership

At least seven people have died after a student opened fire at a school in southern Finland, hours after a video was posted on YouTube predicting a school massacre. A teacher at Jokela High School told Reuters the gunman was one of its pupils.

Note EU-Digest: Like the US Finland has an obsession with guns - With 1.6 million firearms in private hands, Finland is an anomaly in Europe. Worldwide, it falls behind only the U.S. and Yemen in civilian gun ownership, studies show. The Finnish government said Friday that it would raise the minimum age for buying guns from 15 to 18, but officials insisted there was no need for sweeping changes to gun laws. Guns are dangerous. They cause death. The European Commission should get Finland in line with the rest of Europe on gun control.

Labels: EU, Finland, Gun Control