A study into gun ownership in the Netherlands showing inadequate gun permit regulation was submitted to the Justice Ministry just nine months before the deadly Alphen aan den Rijn mall shooting in which seven people were killed.

The study, submitted in August 2010, said that police officers lacked the expertise to properly evaluate gun permit applications. It added that most police forces do not have sufficient manpower for proper supervision and inspections of gun owners.

The study also pointed to the dangers of a mentally unstable person with a firearm. Alphen aan den Rijn shooter Tristan van der Vlis was issued a gun permit even though he had a history of mental illness. Local police officers had assisted in his forced admittance to a closed institution after a failed suicide attempt in 2006.

Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten submitted the study to the Dutch Safety Board which investigated the Alphen aan den Rijn shooting but saw no reason to publish it.

(gsh)

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