U.S. School Violence Transitioning to European Continents: Previously Unheard Of but Now a Reality
Reimagined Article:
School Massacres Moving from US Stereotype to European Reality
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Once upon a time, a school shooting was synonymous with the USA. However, times have changed, and schools across Europe are now grappling with this grim reality. According to an expert, US perpetrators sadly served as tragic role models.
A string of brutal attacks on schools has ignited a security policy debate in Europe that was once primarily associated with the USA. Since 2023, there have been four of the deadliest school massacres in Western Europe—two of which happened this year alone.
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The latest tragedy occurred in Graz, Austria, where a 21-year-old man shot and killed ten people at a school. Earlier this year, an attacker in Sweden also took the lives of ten people at an educational institution. Both incidents are believed to be the most severe acts of violence of their kind in the recent history of both countries. "School shootings, including school shootings, were previously predominantly a US problem, but the balance is shifting," says Adam Lankford, a criminologist at the University of Alabama. Many perpetrators draw inspiration from past US school shootings, and this is evident in their statements and digital footprints. in essence, it's an export from America.
He referred to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, in which two students killed twelve fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives, as an example.
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Politics Under Pressure
Several European countries are responding to the situation with stricter laws. In Sweden, the government has agreed to tighten procedures for gun licenses and ban certain semi-automatic weapons. In France, President Emmanuel Macron has pushed for a Europe-wide regulation to ban social media for children under 15 years old, following a deadly knife attack at a school.
Germany has tightened its gun laws since the 2002 Amoklauf in Erfurt, where a 19-year-old former student took the lives of sixteen people at the Gutenberg Gymnasium, and the Amoklauf in Winnenden, where a 17-year-old killed fifteen people. Last year, a ban on switchblades was introduced, and carrying knives at public events is now prohibited.
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In the Czech Republic, where a student killed fourteen people at a university in Prague in December 2023, doctors will soon be able to access a central weapons register to check if their patients have a gun license. Croatia has tightened access controls after a deadly attack at a primary school. Finland, on the other hand, is preparing students to barricade classrooms and is considering harsher penalties for carrying weapons in public. The UK is looking into an attack in Southport, northwest England, where three young girls were stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed event.
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Calls for stricter laws are growing louder in Austria after the recent school shooting. Private gun ownership is more common than in other countries: roughly four percent of the population legally owns a firearm. President Alexander Van der Bellen expressed an openness to changes, stating that if it's found that the Austrian gun law needs to be changed to ensure more safety, "then we will do so."
Chancellor Christian Stocker urged caution, emphasizing the need to act based on investigations rather than rush to decisions. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner demanded consequences: "After such a senseless act, we cannot and will not simply move on." A general ban on private firearms is considered unlikely.
Political scientist Peter Filzmaier points to the numerous interest groups involved, like hunters and sports shooters, as well as cultural associations. Realistic, he suggests, is a broad political consensus for targeted tightening of acquisition, control, and psychological evaluation.
- In light of the rising number of school massacres in Europe and the inspirations drawn from US school shootings, a public debate focused on community policy, including vocational training for mental health and education-and-self-development programs, has gained traction to address the root causes of such tragedies.
- The politics surrounding school safety have expanded beyond the traditional US discourse, with crime-and-justice topics, such as general-news investigations into the motivations of perpetrators and discussions about social media regulations for children, playing a significant role in the European policy reform process.
