On April 2nd at 9 a.m, a 12-year-old boy opened fire at his secondary school in Vantaa, Finland, just outside of Helsinki.³ One student died, and two others were injured in what has been named the Viertola School Shooting, which has not only shaken Finland, but all of Europe.³ This shooting was tragically not an anomaly in Europe, as within 2023 alone there were 55 mass shootings, with a plurality occurring in Russia.⁵ In 2024, several mass shootings occurred as well, with one notable shooting being the Crocus City Hall Concert Shooting where a gunman suspected of involvement with ISIS killed 137 and injured over 140 at a concert in Moscow, Russia.²

While on their own, every one of these shootings might seem like a one-off tragedy, the pattern of gun violence increasing in Europe has become impossible to ignore, as mass shootings seem to occur every month now. As researcher Alexei Anasin of Anglo-American University points out, shootings in Central and Eastern Europe are on the rise, and there is reason to believe they will continue to do so¹. One worrying statistic is that among shooters in Central and Eastern Europe as well as the United States, the average age of a shooter who completed a mass shooting, that is a shooting in which 4 or more people were killed, was a mere 35.¹ 

While many have been quick to blame the increase of mass shootings, and school shootings more specifically, on the United States, there is more to this story than meets the eye. While there are many similarities between shooters in the United States and Europe, such as the great majority being men and the age of said shooters, there are some key differences. The 3 differences most noted in statistical analysis have been location, motivation, and mental illness. In Europe, a shooter is more likely to be familiar with the area of the shooting, less likely to have ideological motivations, and less likely to have been diagnosed with or been treated for any mental illness.¹ While these are all notable differences, some researchers such as Peter Squires, a professor at the University of Brighton, says that with the rise of neo-Nazi and far-right movements in Europe, we are more likely to see ideologically motivated shootings in the future.⁶

Jason Silva, an assistant professor at William Paterson University, has theorized that the increase of shootings across the world is due to the “globalization of American Mass Shootings”. ⁷ While I had previously noted the differences between shootings in Europe and the US, it is impossible to ignore the cultural shift onset by the United States of the acceptability of violence as a means to take out your rage, especially among radicalized young men known colloquially as incels. These young men who fall down what is known as the Far-right rabbit hole are taught to revere shootings by ideologically motivated shooters, and as this community has grown it has planted roots in many countries across the globe. 

Another factor which might be influencing the increase in shootings in Europe is the illegal importation of, and illegal ownership of guns in the European Union. Illegal arms importations through Turkey and gun parts from the United States have made the market for illegal arms both more accessible, and cheaper with greater profit opportunities.⁴ Though many countries have strict gun laws, this growing gun market is threatening the security onset by these laws. An especially worrying phenomenon is that of 3D printed gun parts, which can be used to create untraceable guns from anywhere with a 3D printing machine. ⁴

While it may be easy to overstate the occurrence of shootings in Europe, and especially Central and Eastern Europe, it is important to note that the United States remains the leader in mass shootings, making up about 73% of mass shootings worldwide, or 101 mass shootings. ⁷

While one might like to give advice on what can be done to help  offset this increase in shootings, it is difficult to give any advice. Shootings in Europe are under-researched and many of them, especially in Russia, have never been translated into languages outside of Russian and are therefore more difficult to catalog. The lack of accessibility for information about shootings in Europe is compounded by the general lack of research into the phenomena, meaning that advice on what strategies can be taken to decrease the number of shootings are few and far between. Other than strengthening the already strong gun laws in European countries and regulating the ability of people to print 3D gun parts, which in itself would be very difficult, there is not much that has been recommended to European governments. 

Story by Ryan Witz.

Citations

1. Anisin, Alexei. “Do Mass Shootings in Central and Eastern Europe Differ from U.S. Mass Shootings? Insights from the MSCEE Data Set.” Journal of Mass Violence Research, 2023, jmvr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Do-Mass-Shootings-in-Central-and-Eastern-Europe-Differ-from-U.S.-Mass-Shootings-Insights-from-the-MSCEE-Data-Set-Anisin-2023.pdf, https://doi.org/10.53076/jmvr25974. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.
2. Atkinson, Emily. “Moscow Attack: Day of Mourning after 137 Killed at Crocus City Hall Concert.” Bbc.com, BBC News, 23 Mar. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68646380. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.
3. Brennan, Eve, and Christian Edwards. “One Dead, Two Injured in Finland School Shooting as 12-Year-Old Suspect Detained.” CNN, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024, edition.cnn.com/2024/04/02/europe/finland-school-shooting-vantaa-intl/index.html. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.
4. Judith Van Doorn. “First Comprehensive Study on Gun Violence in Europe Identifies Alarming Trends.” Phys.org, Phys.org, 14 Dec. 2021, phys.org/news/2021-12-comprehensive-gun-violence-europe-alarming.html. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.
5. “Mass Shootings by Country 2023 – Wisevoter.” Wisevoter, 24 June 2023, wisevoter.com/country-rankings/mass-shootings-by-country/#mass-shootings-in-europe. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.
6. O’Leary, Naomi. “Risk Mass Shootings Will Increase in Europe, Experts Warn.” The Irish Times, The Irish Times, 5 May 2023, www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2023/05/05/risk-mass-shootings-will-increase-in-europe-experts-warn/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.
7. USA TODAY. “How Often Do Mass Shootings Happen in Europe? Experts Say Prague Tragedy Could Shake the Czech Republic for Years.” USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2023, eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/12/22/prague-shooting-massacre-gun-policy-europe/72003693007/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.