The German government has called for EU-wide gun controls in the wake of the Munich shootings, as it emerged the teenage attacker bought a gun on the “dark web”.
One of the mysteries of the attack has been how Ali Sonboly managed to get hold of a Glock handgun and the 300 rounds of ammunition police found in his backpack.
The gun was a deactivated weapon certified for use as a theatrical prop which had been reactivated before the attack.
The handgun’s most recent documentation was from Slovakia in 2014, raising concerns over the ease with which guns can be bought and sold around the border-free Schengen Area.
Germany has relatively tough gun laws and there is no way the teen could legally have obtained the gun in his own country.
Thomas de Maiziere, the German interior minister, said Germany would consider toughening its gun laws further, and called for a common EU policy.
“Our gun laws are already very strict, and I think this is correct,” Mr de Maiziere told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “In Europe, we want to make further progress with a common weapons policy.
“First we have to determine how the Munich perpetrators procured a weapon. Then we have to look very carefully at where to make legal changes.”
Concerns have been voiced for some time over the ease with which guns can be obtained within the EU from countries with relatively relaxed controls.