Rauflauf in Graz: Ten dead and a nation in mourning

Rauflauf in Graz: Ten dead and a nation in mourning

Graz, Österreich - On June 10, 2025, a normal school day at the Federal OberstfufenRealgymnasium in Graz turned into a terrible scenario. A 21-year-old former student who had broken off the school killed the shocking number of ten people-including nine young people between the ages of 14 and 17 and a teacher. According to reports, the perpetrator, who committed suicide after the cruel act, was classified as psychologically unsuitable for military service and had nevertheless acquired weapons through a legal procedure. In fact, he used a glock pistol, a sawn-out double shotgun and a hunting knife while he was wearing shooting glasses and a headset.

While the killing spree only lasted seven minutes, he not only left countless injuries, but also a nation in mourning. Most of the 11 injuries are in stable condition. On this day there were between 350 and 400 students at school who blocked themselves in the classrooms and barricaded the doors when the alarm reports echoed through the corridors. Emergency services were on site 13 minutes after the emergency call. In the days after the killing spree, a three -day state griever followed in Austria, and on June 11th at 10 a.m.

psychological problems and gun ownership

The fact that the perpetrator was already judged to be mentally unstable in 2021 is particularly shattering. According to a report by Vol.at , the Federal Army had found that he was unsuitable for military service due to his mental constitution. But despite this assessment, he was able to legally acquire a weapon through a psychological test from a civilian authority.

The weapon ownership regulations in Austria require applicants, among other things, the proof of perfect handling of weapons and a psychological report on reliability. However, there is always criticism of the tests, as the head of the legal psychology department, Julia Wachter, states. She mentions outdated test methods and criticizes that there is no clear definition of what experts should test in terms of weapon psychological reliability. The current regulations do not always seem to work in practice.

political reactions and the discussion about weapons legislation

The killing spree has initiated a fundamental discussion about weapons legislation in Austria. The governor of Styria, Mario Kunasek (FPÖ), was outraged by the data protection regulations that the Federal Army does not allow to simply pass on information about mentally unstable people. This also has to do with the fact that such information may only be passed on in specific cases at the request of authorities. The National Security Council becomes this decisive topic to discuss possible changes.

The public interest in the topic is increasing, especially in view of the security situation in Europe and the latest tragedies. Kurier reports on the sunken security thoughts of the population, which after the 2015 refugee crisis and the global terrorist attachments experienced a noticeable decrease has. It remains to be seen how the political circles will react to this shattering incident and whether sustainable changes in legislation will follow.