GERMANY: Parliament consider ban on paintball games after recent school shooting

Record ID: 763092

  • Title: GERMANY: Parliament consider ban on paintball games after recent school shooting
  • Date: 10th May 2009
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MAY 7, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PAINTBALL PLAYERS SHOOTING WITH COLOUR MUNITION VICE CHAIRMAN OF SPD-PARLIAMENTARY GROUP, RUDOLF KOERPER BEING INTERVIEWED CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (German) VICE CHAIRMAN OF SPD-PARLIAMENTARY GROUP, RUDOLF KOERPER, SAYING: "The background was the shooting in Winnenden. We had the order to analyse this terrible event and draw
  • Embargoed: 25th May 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA70JEQ9D66TA8PEKGQA2OLSI2N
  • Story Text: Germany's ruling coalition wants to ban shooting games like Gotcha and Paintball, following the recent school shooting in the southern German town of Winnenden.

    "We had the order to analyse this terrible event and draw our conclusions - what can we do. We came to the conclusion that we have to change the weapons law," Rudolf Koerper, vice chairman of the social-democratic parliamentary group, said on Thursday (May 7) in Berlin.
    15 people died on March 11 after a heavily armed 17-year-old opened fire on pupils and teachers at his former school in Winnenden.

    "Paintball goes against human beings. You have to know this. And that is the problem," he added.
    A breach of the ban could result in a fine of up to 5000 euros.
    Paintball players argued that a ban on their game wouldn't solve the problem.

    "I don't think anything of this ban, because it doesn't even touch the problem, they are trying to solve. I think that we are just victims at the moment, somebody has to be the victim. The politicians don't really want to get anywhere near the real problem, so they are looking for paintball players," Javier de la Fuente said at a paintball hall in Berlin.

    "The problem is not that we are playing paintball, the problem is connected to weapons which really can harm people. We cannot do that and we also don't want to do that," paintball player Mario Gieson added.
    Paintball is played with air-pressured guns and coloured munition. In addition to the ban on paintball, German legislators also want to increase restrictions on holding weapons.
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