Gunman Opens Fire in German University Lecture Hall

On Monday a student at Heidelberg University in Germany killed one person and wounded three others before taking his own life in a rare instance of mass gun violence in the country.

The Washington Post, building on reporting from the Associated Press (AP), reported that the gunman was an 18-year-old student who began shooting in a lecture hall where 30 people had gathered for a biology lesson. The Post reported that the four victims were university students. As of publication time, no motive for the attack had been made public.

Local police said the gunman had sent a text message to his father prior to the shooting, saying “people will be punished.”

The AP reported that the gunman had two firearms that he had acquired abroad and approximately 100 rounds of ammunition.

School shootings are relatively rare in Germany, a country with some of the strictest gun laws in Europe.

Here’s a look at Germany's gun ownership laws:https://t.co/1o5CUnSf7o

— DW News (@dwnews) January 25, 2022

Gun violence in Germany is relatively rare. According to GunPolicy.org at the Sydney (Australia) School of Public Health, Germany is middle-of-the-pack in the rate of gun deaths per 100,000 people when compared to its close European counterparts. Germany has 1.01 gun deaths per 100,000 population, a statistic that includes homicides as well as accidents and suicides. Neighbors Switzerland (2.84) and France (2.42) have higher rates while Spain (0.58) and Netherlands (0.44) have lower rates. All Western European nations are dwarfed by countries plagued by gun violence, including the United States (12.09 deaths per 100,000), Mexico (18.95), and Brazil (23.93).

Gun Deaths in Selected European Countries, per 100,000 Population

The German media site Deutsche Welle details German gun regulations. It notes that purchasing or owning a gun requires a license and requires insurance, which combined cost approximately €500. License requirements also include a personal reliability and aptitude requirement, which is administered at the local level. However, anyone under 25 years old who is purchasing their first firearm must provide a certificate of mental aptitude from a public health officer or psychologist.

In addition, German gun laws make a distinction between weapons and war weapons. The latter group includes all fully automatic or semi-automatic rifles, and it is illegal to possess war weapons.