Norwegian police only used their guns twice last year — and they missed both times

(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

published 8 July 2015

Norwegian police only used their guns twice in 2014, and both times they missed the suspect they were shooting at, The Washington Post reports. It was the 10th time in 12 years that not a single person was killed in Norway by police gunfire.

While gun ownership is common in the Scandinavian nation, Norwegian cops rarely carry firearms on their person. Even in 2011, when terrorist Anders Behring Breivik murdered 69 at a youth camp, police only fired their guns once, injuring one — and Breivik himself surrendered to the police without them firing their weapons.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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