Official German federal documents say that there are more than 940,000 registered private gun owners in the country.
Qatar condemned the shooting at a church in the German city of Hamburg, where at least seven people were killed including an unborn child on Thursday.
In a statement, the Guf state’s foreign ministry reiterated Doha’s rejection of “violence and terrorism regardless of the motives and reasons.”
“It also stresses its total rejection of targeting places of worship. The Ministry expresses the condolences of the State of Qatar to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Germany, wishing the injured a speedy recovery,” the statement read.
A gunman opened fire at a Jehovah’s Witness worship hall in Hamburg, where he killed a seven-month pregnant woman who lost her unborn daughter, Reuters reported, citing German police and prosecutors.
Identified as Philipp F, a 35-year-old German citizen, the shooter shot himself following the attack, his motives remain unknown. The shooter was a former member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses sect.
“We fear that further victims may die from their severe wounds,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
Jehovah’s Witnesses is part of an international church initially founded in the United States in the 19th century, which refuses to bear weaponry.
German authorities had failed at preventing the shooting despite previously receiving a tipoff about the gunman’s psychological state.
Policemen had visited the shooter’s home after receiving the tip, though they did not find a cause for concern.
Hamburg police chief Ralf Martin Meyer said that the gunman’s weapons were licensed and legally owned.
The shooting was also met with condemnation by the European Union, with officials expressing their condolences to the families of the victims.
In a tweet, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “Terrible news from Hamburg. I extend France’s condolences to the relatives of the victims and to all our German friends. Our thoughts are with you.”
The latest mass shooting in Germany comes after numerous others occurred over the past years, prompting authorities to introduce stricter arms ownership rules.
Official German federal documents say that there are more than 940,000 registered private gun owners in the country, mainly due to its hunting culture.
In 2020, a gunman killed nine people in Hanau before turning the gun to himself.
In 2019, another shooter killed two people outside a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.
