For Sweden, the tragedy in Örebro may serve as a turning point in its approach to gun control. In the US, however, the cycle of violence and legislative inaction is set to continue
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Sweden’s government announced on Friday (February 7) that it would move to amend the country’s gun laws, imposing stricter restrictions on semi-automatic weapons.
The declaration came in response to the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history, which claimed the lives of eleven people, including the gunman, last week.
According to police, the shooter was licensed to own four firearms, three of which were found next to his body. Officers also recovered several long-barrelled weapons and 10 empty magazines from the scene.
The proposal, agreed upon by the ruling coalition and the Sweden Democrats, will specifically curtail civilian access to semi-automatic firearms, such as the AR-15, which authorities say is capable of inflicting significant damage in a short span of time.
Notably, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency had approved the use of AR-15 rifles for hunting in 2023, but the new proposal aims to reverse this decision, restoring prior limitations.
“The horrific act of violence in Örebro raises several key questions about gun legislation,” Sweden’s government said in a statement.
US gun violence statistics
Sweden’s example stands in stark contrast to the US when it comes to decisive action to prevent mass shootings.
Sweden is all set to be able to do in a little over a week what what the US has been unable to for years despite its long-running crisis of gun violence.
While mass shootings have become an almost daily occurrence in the United States, political gridlock and entrenched lobbying interests have prevented comprehensive gun control reform.
The US accounts for 46 per cent of the world’s civilian-owned firearms, according to data from the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey. The country also ranks highest among developed nations in firearm-related homicides.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 488 mass shootings in the US in 2024 alone, with over 600 incidents recorded annually for the past four years.
The number of deaths is so high, the US surgeon general had taken the unprecedented step of declaring gun violence a public health crisis in 2024.
As of 2022, there were still no legislations to ban semi-automatic assault weapons, large-capacity magazines, and other military-style firearms.
Lobbying prevents gun control
Apart from the rampant gun culture in the US, the reason for this was also the lobbying from gun rights groups, particularly the National Rifle Association (NRA).
The NRA and other pro-gun organisations have spent heavily to influence policymakers and block restrictions.
The NRA alone spent $4.2 million on lobbying in 2021 and has directed over $140 million to pro-gun election candidates from 2010 to mid-2023, according to OpenSecrets, a non-partisan US research group.
The argument put forth by gun rights advocates– that more firearms make the country safer– has been widely disputed by public health and security experts.
With the US Congress deeply divided on gun policy, prospects for meaningful reform remain dim.
For Sweden, the tragedy in Örebro may serve as a turning point in its approach to gun control. In the US, however, the cycle of violence and legislative inaction is set to continue.
With inputs from agencies
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