Despite gun laws, Germany not immune to school shootings

Germany is known for having strict gun possession laws. The legal age for owning recreational firearms was raised from 18 to 21 after a 2002 shooting in Erfurt that killed 16 people.

Weapons cannot be bought without a license, which can be acquired only after proving expert knowledge of firearms and a need for the weapon.

Still, Germany has not been immune to school shootings.

In the latest case, a 17-year-old former student armed with a Beretta 9-millimeter pistol burst into classrooms at a high school near Stuttgart on Wednesday.

He killed 15 people -- nine students and three teachers and, as he fled, three men -- before killing himself.

Police said the gunman’s father was a member of a local gun club and had a collection of 15 firearms.

All but the pistol were kept locked away.

--

Previous cases

February 2002: In Freising, Bavaria, a former student who had been thrown out of trade school shot and killed three people before killing himself. A teacher was injured.

April 2002: In Erfurt, eastern Germany, 19-year-old Robert Steinhauser opened fire after saying he was not going to take a math test. He killed 12 teachers, a secretary, two pupils and a policeman at the Gutenberg Gymnasium before killing himself.

November 2006: An 18-year-old opened fire after storming his former school in the western town of Emsdetten. He wounded at least 11 people before killing himself.