Sejune

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26849077

HELSINKI, Finland - A male student shot dead several people at a college in Finland on Tuesday, local authorities said.

The shooting spree occurred in the town of Kauhajoki, about 180 miles northwest of Helsinki. According to local reports, there were about 200 people in the building when the 20-year-old student started shooting "around himself".

Kauhajoki Mayor Antti Rantakokko told Reuters that "several" were killed in the rampage.

The Associated Press reported that police said they had disarmed the gunman. Superintendent Jussi Muotio of the Kauhajoki police confirmed that the incident was over and said police did not know if anyone had been killed.

Finnish television channel YLE said a teacher witnessed at least 10 people being shot. It also reported that one college worker spotted a man wearing a ski mask carrying a large bag enter the building before the shooting began.

Jarkko Sipila, a journalist with MTV3 News, told CNN that there was a fire burning in the building where the rampage occurred and that police had confirmed several people were injured. He said the college catered for students aged 16 and older.

Kari Saarinen, chief physician at Senajoki Hospital, about 40 miles from Kauhajoki, said hospitals in the area were on full emergency alert.

'Peaceful place'
He added that he was unsure about the number of victims, but believed there were several — some wounded, some dead.

Speaking to the BBC, Finnish journalist Timo Huowinan described Kauhajoki as a "peaceful place where you could never believe something like this would happen".

The shootings occurred almost a year after a gunman killed eight people and himself at a school in southern Finland.

Kauhajoki is a municipality of 14,000 people located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Cupcake

After a shooting that happened a year ago in finland...Just thought the age to buy a firearm was interesting.

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goldshellback

One peturbed 20 year old.............

Anytime, AND anywhere

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David in FL

A little research into Finnish gun laws.......


The ownership and use of firearms is regulated by the Firearms Act of 1998.

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. The applicant must provide evidence supporting the acquisition license application to prove that he or she is actually using firearms for the stated purpose(s). Such proof may consist of written declarations from other license holders as referees, shooting diaries or certificates from a shooting club.[2]


For the life of me......with laws like this on the books, I can't figure out how something like this ever happened!

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ccw9mm

As is obvious to us, with laws like this on the books, it's patently clear it could not go any other way.

For the lives of the Finns, the people and their politicians will need to square with the reality at some point. If the preservation of innocent life isn't a valid reason, they're already at the mercy of criminals. (Not unlike a few places in the U.S., based on the same rationale.)

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JonInNY

UPDATE

At least nine dead in Finnish college shooting

Police say the shooter was a student, no motive established
Shooter tried to kill himself but was not successful, official said

At least nine dead in Finnish college shooting - CNN.com

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kohburn

Acceptable reasons include:
-hunting
-sports or hobby shooting
-souvenir

but home defense is not an acceptable reason? this is some of the most backwards thinking i've ever seen.

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ccw9mm

That's essentially the hurdle faced by everyone in a might-issue state, in the U.S. Amazing, that anyone could think preservation of innocent life doesn't qualify. Seems to me it's the entire point of the exercise.

__________________
Your best weapon is your brain. Don't leave home without it.
Reports: CZ P01 pt1, pt2.
Thoughts: Justifiable self defense.
Reality: Disarming citizens only results in more victims.
Tip: Use the <search> feature.

flagflyfish

Suspected Gunman Was Questioned Before Shooting Massacre at Finnish School




HELSINKI, Finland — A gunman opened fire at a vocational school for adults in western Finland on Tuesday before shooting himself, police said. Finnish media reported nine people were killed and the gunman died later at the hospital from his injuries.

The shootings began just before 11 a.m. local time as about 150 students went to class in Kauhajoki, 180 miles northwest of Helsinki. Witnesses said panic broke out as the hooded gunman entered the school and began firing.

"Within a short space of time I heard several dozen rounds of shots, in other words it was an automatic pistol," school janitor Jukka Forsberg told broadcaster YLE. "I saw some female students who were wailing and moaning and one managed to escape out of the back door."

Finland's interior minister said the shooter was questioned by police a day before the massacre but released.

Anne Holmlund says the gunman was detained for questioning on Monday about YouTube postings in which he is seen firing a handgun. She says police released him because they had no legal reason to keep him detained.

She says the man used a 22-millimeter caliber handgun in Tuesday's attack. Holmlund says he got the license for the gun in August.


Geez!!!! A automatic 22-millimeter handgun!!! That's gotta have some recoil!! I guess the media is screwy worldwide.

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