Austria ranks among the highest in Europe for civilian gun ownership, with approximately 30 guns per 100 residents, according to the 2017 Small Arms Survey, a Geneva research group. While countries such as Cyprus, Finland, and Iceland report slightly higher rates, Austria remains an outlier in the continent.

After an initial phase of shock and grief following the shooting rampage at a school in Graz, a debate about Austria's relatively liberal gun laws is now underway. So far, the Communists and the Greens have spoken out in favor of tightening the law,

The deadliest school shooting in the nation’s recent history has prompted some gun enthusiasts to worry about the prospect of stricter ownership laws.