In Finland 8 Dead in School Shooting - 11/7/2007

School shootings are familiar news in the United States, but not in Finland. Reports say 8 people, including five boys, two girls and one adult woman were killed, according to Reuters. The shooter rampaged from classroom to classroom. A warning video was posted on YouTube. It is entitled “Jokela High School Massacre - 11/7/2007″ Police said that the 18-years-old shooter was seriously wounded and being treated at a hospital, according to The Associated Press. It wasn’t clear if he was shot by police or his own gun.

Finland has many guns, ranked just behind the United States and Yemen. For every 100 people in Finland, there are 56 guns. But before today no guns in Finland had been used in a school shooting. Europe in general has had far fewer school shootings than the United States. In 1997, 16 children were shot and killed at a school playground in Dunblane, Scotland. In 2002, a shooting in Erfurt, Germany, left 17 dead.

This incident is certain to be compared to Columbine and Virginia Tech and to the recent shooting at a Chicago school. One concern is whether something that has been confined to America will become commonplace in Europe also. This incident will also likely lead to more school security in Finland and the rest of Europe.