In February 2025, 35-year-old Swede Rickard Andersson burst into the Risbergska adult education center in Örebro, firing on those present with three legally possessed rifles/shotguns. Ten people fell under his shots before the murderer committed suicide. Although most of the victims were adults of foreign origin, at the close of the investigation the Swedish police did not identify a definite racial motive for the shooting. Such an explosive and unprovoked act of violence, perpetrated by a citizen who legally possessed guns, sparked a very heated political debate in Sweden, where the number of murders committed with firearms has been rising sharply for years. Little does it matter that this upsurge is due to clashes between criminal gangs competing for illegal activities in big cities: punishing citizens instead of criminals is a convenient and popular remedy for politicians all over the world, and Sweden is no exception.
The solution adopted by the Swedish government was drastic and in some ways puzzling. Before we talk about it, let us make a premise. In Sweden, firearms require a specific licence, linked to their use. So if you want to use an AR-15-type semi-automatic rifle for hunting, you will have to apply for a specific licence for that particular gun, and the same applies if you want to use it on the shooting range. While firearms owned under a hunting licence can be used at the shooting range, firearms owned under a sport shooting licence cannot be used for hunting. To obtain a sports licence it is not enough to be registered at a shooting range but you must prove active participation in competitive activity.
That said, here is the Swedish solution: as of 1 August 2025, the police will stop issuing new hunting licences for semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines. Moreover, no removable magazines with a capacity of more than seven rounds can be used.
Licences already issued will be progressively revoked, with owners having two years to apply for a new licence or to sell them. At the end of the two years, unsold guns will either be bought by the state at the market price (perhaps) or confiscated and sent to Ukraine. On this last step there is still not much clarity, probably waiting for a dedicated budget to be allocated. It should be noted that the use of AR-15-type rifles in Sweden was only legally allowed in 2013. In return, the government has increased the number of hunting guns that can be owned (from the current four to eight, or ten with a special licence) and simplified some bureaucratic steps.
On paper, this might even seem a sensible decision, but adding a touch of the surreal to the tragedy is the fact that, according to Swedish police reports, the deranged shooter was armed with a Browning BAR Long Track semi-automatic rifle in .30-06, a Ruger 10/22 in .22 LR, and a 12-gauge shotgun. No AR-15-type gun was used by him during the Örebro shooting. All but one of the shots were fired by Rickard Andersson with the Browning rifle. So even if the law proposed today had already been in force, it still would not have prevented the shooting.
This is the government proposal that has to be approved by parliament, but the die seems to be cast. We will continue to monitor the situation and tell you about its developments here on all4shooters.com.
