Serbia mass shootings: how quickly do other countries change their gun laws after attacks, compared to the US?

Serbia looks set to join other countries in tightening its gun laws, after the Southeast European nation was rocked by two deadly mass shootings in two days.

On Wednesday (3 May), police were called to reports of a shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in Belgrade, the country's capital. A 13-year-old boy has been arrested for allegedly using his father's gun to kill eight fellow students and a security guard, also injuring six other children and a teacher.

The next day (4 May), a gunman in a car shot randomly at people across three villages near Mladenovac, about 30 miles south of the capital, killing eight and injuring 14. A suspect was arrested after an overnight manhunt, with Serbian interior minister Bratislav Gasic describing the drive-by shootings as “a terrorist act”.

The Serbian government's rapid leap to action has drawn parallels with the US, which the New York Times reports has had at least 192 mass shootings so far this year, but little change to firearms legislation.

So what will change in Serbia, and how have other countries' gun laws changed in response to similar attacks?

How will gun laws change in Serbia after the two recent attacks?

After the second shooting the Serbian government immediately moved to boost gun control by ordering a two-year ban on short-barrel guns, and tougher sentences for people who enable minors to get hold of guns.

In a video address on Friday, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić proposed a moratorium on issuing all new gun permits, Al Jazeera reports, in what he called a “practical disarmament” of Serbia. It would also include more frequent mental health checks on gun owners.

The government planned to hire 1,200 new police officers to guard schools, he added, while CNN reported it was also considering measures to limit young people's exposure to harmful content on social media - including potential cell phone bans in schools, and new social media regulations.

Mass shootings in Serbia and in the wider Balkan region are extremely rare and none had been reported since 2013, but the country has one of the highest gun densities in the world - ranking third behind the United States and Yemen with an estimated 39 firearms per 100 people

Reuters reports Serbia has an entrenched gun culture, especially in rural areas, and the entire western Balkans are still awash with hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons following 1990s wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Have any other countries taken this approach?

On March 15, 2019, a gunman attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, targeting Muslim worshippers there for Friday prayers. A total of 51 people were killed and dozens of others wounded in the partially livestreamed terror attacks, and the man became the first in New Zealand history to be jailed for life - with no possibility of parole.

Then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern quickly announced a rash of new firearm restrictions, banning a wide range of semi-automatic weapons and gun parts, similar to those used in the attacks. The country initiated a mass gun buyback scheme nationwide, with owners given six months to hand their newly-prohibited weapons over to police for compensation. An estimated 60,000 firearms were taken out of circulation.

The following year government introduced further gun bans and an additional buyback scheme for them, as well as plans to create a controversial Firearms Registry, which will link specific guns to firearms licence holders, tracking when they change hands.

Other countries have followed similar paths, like Australia in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, and Norway after the 2011 Utoya attacks.

The UK's gun laws were also tightened in the wake of a high-profile incident: the 1996 Dunblane massacre, in Scotland. Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 pupils and one teacher at a primary school, injuring 15 others before turning the gun on himself.

The attack, which remains the deadliest shooting in British history, was carried out with two legally-owned pistols. Time reports previously, there had been no specific handgun laws in the UK, but after pressure from the public and bereaved families, the government introduced a near-total (and later expanded) handgun ban within a year.

The UK government also bought weapons back, taking about 20,000 out of circulation, and noted a marked decrease in gun violence - with no mass shootings since, Time said.

Why have gun laws not changed in the United States?

US President Joe Biden has repeatedly called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, but has not yet been successful. However, firearm regulations have had their biggest update in decades under his leadership.

A month after a deadly shooting at a primary school in Uvalde, Texas, Biden signed new bipartisan gun legislation into law. The Texas Tribune reported the law closed what was known as "the boyfriend loophole". While federal statutes already stopped people convicted of committing domestic violence against spouses or partners - who either lived or had a child together - from buying a gun, the new law created more flexibility around how courts could define who counted as a partner, and therefore who might qualify for the ban.

The law also incentivised states to enact red flag laws, which allow guns to be temporarily confiscated from people found in court to be dangerous, while The New York Times reported it also expanded the background check system for prospective gun buyers under the age of 21, toughened up gun trafficking laws, and set aside millions of dollars for mental health resources and school safety.

The US faces considerable challenges trying to reform gun laws, for three main reasons. One is the Second Amendment of the US constitution, which gives citizens the right to "bear arms". The amendment is entrenched in the consciousness of many Americans as a core value required for freedom. Attempts at enacting federal gun control laws are often challenged as a government attempt to remove a public check on their power.

There are also powerful, well-funded lobby groups in the United States advocating for gun rights - like the National Rifle Association (NRA) - which is more closely associated with the conservative Republican party. Currently, the US House and Senate are also split, with the Republicans holding the most seats in the House of Representatives, and the Democrats controlling the Senate. A bill must pass both houses before it goes to the President for consideration, so this division means any legislation that passes usually has to be a compromise.