The Finnish government has drafted an ad hoc bill in order to launch an investigation into the homicides that took place in a Jokela school last November. (Read the draft, in Finnish.) The proposed law is intended to determine how such crimes can be prevented from reoccurring; the concluded police investigation does not address this matter sufficiently.
One of the specific tasks mentioned in the bill is scrutiny of firearms permit policy. I hope the investigation board will remember that criminals, by definition, do not abide by gun control laws, and will thus always be able to get their hands on firearms. It is time to make it easier for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals.
Another eye-catching section of the draft indicates that the board also should investigate the media coverage of the incident. This would seem to imply that the government, chaired by PM Matti “see you in court” Vanhanen, wishes to impose new restrictions on the media.
What do you think? Please post your comments!
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