Three injured in Finnish school shooting, child arrested

A shooting occurred at a Finnish elementary school. A student opened fire and three children were injured.

Finnish police said that all those involved in the shooting were over 12 years old, and the gunman was also a minor.

Local police added that one person had been detained.

The incident occurred just after 7am UK time on Tuesday at Viertolan Koulu school south of Vantaa, a suburb of the capital Helsinki.

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The victim was taken to hospital, a police spokesman told Reuters.

Interior Minister Mari Rantanen posted on Caught.”

Local police warned people to stay away from the area, but the immediate danger to the school was over.

Vantaa has a population of approximately 250,000 and is the fourth largest city in the country.

Finland has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world.

There are approximately 1.5 million licensed firearms in Finland. According to government statisticsAlthough the country has a small population of only 5.6 million people.There are 430,000 license holders in the country, which means about 12% of Finns own firearms

Hunting and shooting clubs remain a popular hobby in Finland, and all males over 18 are still required to perform military service, including firearms training.

Gun use in the country is strictly regulated. Residents wishing to obtain a firearms license in Finland need to provide details about their intended purpose of use and pass a criminal record check.

This is only the third school shooting recorded in Finland.

In 2008, a 22-year-old student shot and killed 10 people with a semiautomatic pistol at a university in the Southbotten district of western Finland.

In 2007, an 18-year-old student shot and killed seven classmates in Tusula, southern Finland.

Despite high gun ownership rates, levels of gun violence remain low by international standards.

Finland Report 0.09 Gun-related homicides per 100,000 people In 2019, it was 3.15 in the United States and 20.68 in Mexico.