Deadly School Shooting Fuels Debate on Austria's Gun Laws
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - With Austria still reeling from this week's deadly school shooting that killed 10 people, a debate is now raging over the Alpine country's gun laws.
The unprecedented case of deadly gun violence stunned the country of almost 9.2 million people, which ranks among the 10 safest in the world, according to the Global Peace Index.
While politicians have called for tighter restrictions on private gun ownership in the wake of the shooting in Graz, interest in firearms and demand for weapons training courses has surged.
"You can't imagine how many people have signed up for shooting courses" since Tuesday's attack, Viennese gun dealer Markus Schwaiger, who also offers training courses at shooting ranges, told AFP.
"People are worried that gun laws are about to get tightened" in the coming months, he added.
Austria has a relatively high number of weapons in circulation, with more than 1.5 million registered to about 370,000 owners.
