Man opens fire at Finnish collegeA gunman has opened fire at a college in western Finland, the country's national broadcaster reports.
YLE quotes police as saying the incident, at a vocational school in the town of Kauhajoki, is ongoing.
Police told YLE and another Finnish news agency they feared several people may have been injured, possibly killed.
Last November a student shot dead eight people at a school in Tuusula. The level of gun ownership in Finland is among the highest in the world.
A BBC correspondent in Finland said a gunman dressed in black was seen at the school, apparently carrying an automatic weapon.
Police ordered an evacuation and called for reinforcements. There were reports of a fire at the site and of at least one injured girl seen leaving the school, our correspondent says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7630969.stmI am sorry, I don't have a comment off-hand. I just think this is an important event given how it's going to be described as proof guns are baaaaaaaad, and how gun control is all awesome.
Note while Finland has lots of guns, their laws are very oppressive compared to the US.
From Wikipedia:
Firearms can only be obtained with an acquisition license, which can be applied for at the local police for ?32. A separate license is required for each individual firearm and family members can have parallel licenses to use the same firearm. According to law, the firearms must be stored in a locked space or otherwise locked, or with vital parts removed and separated. Even then the weapon or any of its separated parts must not be easily stolen. If an especially dangerous firearm or more than 5 pistols, revolvers or self-loading rifles or other-type firearms are being stored, they must be stored in a certified gun safe or in a secure space inspected and approved by the local police authority.
They may be carried only when they are transported from their place of storage to the place of use (shooting range, hunting area or such). Even then they must be unloaded and concealed or kept in carrying pouches. Aside from law enforcement agents and military personnel, only security guards with closely defined working conditions, special training and a permit are allowed to carry a loaded gun in public places. The ownership of air-rifles is not regulated but carrying or firing them in public places is not permitted. A crossbow is paralleled to an air rifle in legal matters.
To obtain a firearms license, an individual must declare a valid reason to own a gun. Acceptable reasons include hunting, sports or hobby shooting, profession related, show or promotion or exhibition, collection or museum, souvenir, and signalling. It is worth noticing that self- or home defence are not considered valid reasons.
