Winnenden School Shooting - Response

Response

German President Horst Köhler said he was "appalled and saddened" by the killings. Köhler and his wife expressed their condolences to the victims and their families and friends. Chancellor Angela Merkel described the shootings as "incomprehensible". "It is unimaginable that in just seconds, pupils and teachers were killed – it is an appalling crime," she told reporters. "This is a day of mourning for the whole of Germany," she continued. Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Günther Oettinger travelled to the scene of the crime by helicopter shortly after the news broke. Oettinger spoke of a "horrible and in no way explainable crime". He also expressed his condolences to the victims, students and families. "This has touched all of Baden-Württemberg. The school, the town, the future, education, and raising children – to destroy these things like that is especially cruel." The European Parliament held a minute of silence to honour the dead. An ecumenical Church service was held in Winnenden the evening of the shooting, with Protestant, Catholic, and Muslim clerics officiating. All German flags were flown on half-staff until 13 March, in memorial of the victims.

In the days following the event, some politicians called for legal consequences, including a total prohibition of all shooting video games, better monitoring of gun club members, a directive to have all ammunition deposited with police, and a provision to have gun club members store their weapons at the club house. Others dismissed such demands as "placebos".

The families of five victims wrote an open letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Horst Köhler, and Baden-Württemberg Minister President Günther Oettinger with demands for consequences. They called for a prohibition on youths' access to guns in gun clubs, less violence on TV, and a prohibition of violent video games. They also called for reporting of these incidents without highlighting the perpetrator, so as to minimize the chance of copycats.

In May 2009, Germany announced plans to ban games such as paintball on the grounds that they "trivialise and encourage violence".

The German government passed legislation in June 2009 to improve handgun security with an electronic nation-wide weapons registry, increased age limitations for large-calibre weapons, and unannounced, random inspections in gun-owner homes to ensure requirements for locked gun storage were met. Obligatory biometric security systems should be introduced once technically feasible.

The legislature did not ban fighting games such as Paintball, Gotcha and Laserdrome; did not limit the number of guns owned, did not pass a requirement to store guns with shooting clubs or restrictions regarding ammunition storage in private households.