Due to its hunting tradition, Finland ranks fifth in civilian gun ownership.
Finland school massacre brings day of mourning and review of gun laws
Prime minister says he is 'very critical' of easy access to handguns after gunman kills 10 at vocational college
The Finnish prime minister today said he will push for stricter gun laws as police began to identify the victims of the country's second school shooting in less than a year.
On a visit to the college where 10 people and their killer died yesterday, Matti Vanhanen said the government would consider if "people should get access to handguns so freely".
Police today named the gunman as Matti Juhani Saari, a trainee chef aged 22. He used a handgun and petrol bombs on his fellow pupils at a vocational college in Kauhajoki town, then fatally shot himself in the head.
Police said the dead were eight female students, a male student and a male teacher. Another female student was wounded.
Some of the dead were badly burned by fires Saari started, making identification difficult.
Vanhanen said he was "very critical about the guns and during the next few months we will make a decision about it".
Today has been declared a day of mourning in Finland. The country's main national daily newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, replaced its usual front-page advertisement with a large picture of a woman placing a candle at a memorial in front of the school. Above a picture of the gunman ran the headline "Why?"
The massacre, and a similar one last year, have led to calls for a review of gun laws.
Finland, a nation with a deep-rooted hunting tradition, ranks in the top five in the world for civilian gun ownership. There are roughly 1.6 million firearms in private hands in a population of about 5 million.
"We must considerably tighten [gun controls]," Vanhanen said. "We should consider whether to allow these small arms for private citizens at home. They belong on firing ranges."
The government has called for an investigation of how police handled the case. The gunman was questioned by police on Monday about YouTube videos in which he was seen firing his gun. In the videos he pointed his gun to the camera and said "You will die next" before firing.
Police said they released him because he had not broken the law and they did not deem him a threat to others.
The interior minister, Anne Holmlund, said: "It's clear that we have to carefully go through what should have been done and if we could have avoided this situation in some way."
Police said Saari left two handwritten messages that he had planned the attack since 2002 and hated the human race.
Last year, a Finnish 18-year-old killed eight pupils and himself. Both he and Saari had posted violent clips on YouTube, were fascinated by the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado, attacked their own schools, and died after shooting themselves in the head.
Finland school massacre brings day of mourning and review of gun laws
Prime minister says he is 'very critical' of easy access to handguns after gunman kills 10 at vocational college
The Finnish prime minister today said he will push for stricter gun laws as police began to identify the victims of the country's second school shooting in less than a year.
On a visit to the college where 10 people and their killer died yesterday, Matti Vanhanen said the government would consider if "people should get access to handguns so freely".
Police today named the gunman as Matti Juhani Saari, a trainee chef aged 22. He used a handgun and petrol bombs on his fellow pupils at a vocational college in Kauhajoki town, then fatally shot himself in the head.
Police said the dead were eight female students, a male student and a male teacher. Another female student was wounded.
Some of the dead were badly burned by fires Saari started, making identification difficult.
Vanhanen said he was "very critical about the guns and during the next few months we will make a decision about it".
Today has been declared a day of mourning in Finland. The country's main national daily newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, replaced its usual front-page advertisement with a large picture of a woman placing a candle at a memorial in front of the school. Above a picture of the gunman ran the headline "Why?"
The massacre, and a similar one last year, have led to calls for a review of gun laws.
Finland, a nation with a deep-rooted hunting tradition, ranks in the top five in the world for civilian gun ownership. There are roughly 1.6 million firearms in private hands in a population of about 5 million.
"We must considerably tighten [gun controls]," Vanhanen said. "We should consider whether to allow these small arms for private citizens at home. They belong on firing ranges."
The government has called for an investigation of how police handled the case. The gunman was questioned by police on Monday about YouTube videos in which he was seen firing his gun. In the videos he pointed his gun to the camera and said "You will die next" before firing.
Police said they released him because he had not broken the law and they did not deem him a threat to others.
The interior minister, Anne Holmlund, said: "It's clear that we have to carefully go through what should have been done and if we could have avoided this situation in some way."
Police said Saari left two handwritten messages that he had planned the attack since 2002 and hated the human race.
Last year, a Finnish 18-year-old killed eight pupils and himself. Both he and Saari had posted violent clips on YouTube, were fascinated by the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado, attacked their own schools, and died after shooting themselves in the head.