HELSINKI, Finland (CNN) -- At least eight people were killed when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at a school in Finland Wednesday, according to Finnish police. The shooting appeared to have been planned out in graphic videos posted on Internet file-sharing site YouTube.
The shooting, believed to be the first of its kind in Finland's history, was the work of Pekka Eric Auvinen, who police said is from Tuusula and who acted alone. He had no previous criminal record and had never threatened anyone from the school before, they added.
Finland, which enjoys a strong tradition of hunting, has a high proportion of gun ownership, with two million firearms owned in a nation of only five million.
I've never understood why a nation is so "pro-gun". It's the government's fault... and You Tube.
Or maybe this is proof that those arguments, while fun, are really not the issue here. But then I said that months ago during the VA Tech rampage, but it turned out Gun Control laws would have stopped all that, eh?
Again, let me say for the record, that I am FOR the legal right to kick someone's ass. Parents included.
Here we go again. It wasnt about gun control laws it was about banning guns, at the very least hand guns, full stop. Again this has happened in a country were it is legal to own a gun. Madness.
I am all for the right to protects one's property but not with the use of guns. The more guns that are in circulation the more likelihood of this kind of thing happening again.
Micrówave wrote: Hey Pow Wow. Did you even read past the 1st paragraph?
It's the FIRST time something like that has happened in Finland.
How would banning guns help?
I did yes. Maybe there wouldnt have been a first time if they werent legal?
from what i've heard, The finnish aren't a very happy people to being with.
They have a very high suicide rate and never smile unless they're taking your money.
or doing the finnish tango. link
"They have a very high suicide rate and never smile unless they're taking your money."
Here is my personal experience with Finnish people: Friendly, honest, serious, well educated (Finns usually speak at least 2 foreign languages fluently), polite, trustworthy. The Finns I know have many interests, are curious in life, faithful to their families, amazing drinkers (!!), have a very cool, dry sense of humour and are always there for me. None of my Finnish friends is suicidal. And none of them dances the tango :) Instead they are all good skiers.
I hope there is more in this programme than just the tango bit, It makes Finns look like idiots who do nothing in life but riding sleighs and dance the tango :)
"Here is my personal experience with Finnish people: Friendly, honest, serious, well educated (Finns usually speak at least 2 foreign languages fluently)"
Yeah that goes for the Swedish-speaking Finns but the people who are talking Finnish as their mother tongue, they have been complaining for ages about the obligatory Swedish language.
"polite, trustworthy. The Finns I know have many interests, are curious in life, faithful to their families, amazing drinkers"
Amazing drinkers, as in alcoholics? Yes I agree with that one.
"have a very cool, dry sense of humour and are always there for me. None of my Finnish friends is suicidal. And none of them dances the tango Instead they are all good skiers."
The dry humour kills me. Good skiers? Maybe cross country.
Finland is country for people who likes to live their own life, and not socialize too much. Just stick to their own stuff, grow old and die.
Amazing isn't it? Well i'm out of here quite soon. And guess what, I'm gonna be able to talk with other people.
Neinbull wrote: "Here is my personal experience with Finnish people: Friendly, honest, serious, well educated (Finns usually speak at least 2 foreign languages fluently)"
Yeah that goes for the Swedish-speaking Finns but the people who are talking Finnish as their mother tongue, they have been complaining for ages about the obligatory Swedish language.
Most of those actually apply for the Finnish speaking people as well. It's true that the Swedish-speaking people in general are happier and more educated, but that's probably just down to them being financially better off to begin with. ;)
The Finnish-speaking people have been complaining about the Swedish language because it's OBLIGATORY. If we are going to have a second obligatory language to study in addition to English, why should it be Swedish?
At least three quarters of the Finnish people live in areas with practically no Swedish speaking people at all, and their holidays are spent in Turkey, Thailand, or at the Canary Islands...
Spanish would be much more useful for them. There's also a chronic need for Russian speakers, but resources are spent on one particular language which in most cases is practically worthless.
As for the actual topic... Yes, there is something wrong with the Finnish gun control laws, and probably a good part of those half a million people who are authorised to store weapons in their homes don't actually need to do so.
What's unfortunate is that a misguided teenager copies his behaviour patterns from what he's seen on television, and kills innocent people in the process. The good thing here is that the politicians now have a perfect platform to tighten the gun laws, which I believe also happened in the UK after a single major incident. I think we all know this would be impossible in the USA even if there was a school shooting every week.
That was the second time school shooting occured in finland. First was in 1989 in Rauma if i remember correct. I don´t think we should blame gun control, when some individual just snaps.
Hunting is a popular hobbie in Finland, and at the age of 15 you can have a hunting license of your own. But to carry a gun you need to have a some kind of sidelicense to carry a gun that is owned by adult.. but i maybe wrong.
I live the Finn I know. :)
But I'm also for a good ass kicking rather than shooting. It takes much more skill to kick someone's ass than to shoot them. It feels better too if someone really deserves it...not that I would know.
;)